October 31, 2023
The Ins and Outs of Adding Fermented Foods to Your Restaurant Menu
You’re no stranger to fermented products – they are definitely part and parcel of your menu. However, with the renaissance of fermented food that harkens back to old traditions, having your local supplier provide you with kimchi, pickles, and sauerkraut might not elevate your culinary creations as you’d like it.
To stand out, you not only have to extend the selection of fermented food, but you are also best to provide produce you fermented yourself. And here is when troubles might start. The entire process might seem painful and discouraging, from preparing piles of documents and abiding by stringent regulations to constantly keeping an eye on the fermented food section. Yet, it’s still doable, with benefits significantly outweighing the steps taken. This guide explains how to introduce house-made fermented products into your kitchen.
국립국어원, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR, via Wikimedia
The HACCP Plan: Safeguarding Food Safety
In professional kitchens, ensuring food safety is of paramount importance. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) are a linchpin in this context. You’re aware of the meticulous standards that must be upheld in your operations, and fermented produce is no exception.
Many restaurants use cold fermentation, as it’s considered safer than room-temperature fermentation. We, however, are interested in the latter, ‘riskier’ (although legal) method. Room temperatures are treated as the danger zone, primarily for produce like vegetables and fruits. Even though fermentation is safe when done correctly, health codes restrict the time at which vegetables can be held at room temperature. So, obtaining authorization for in-house fermentation is a prerequisite.
After completing the documents and getting approval, ensure to update your menu. You can use any available menu template and include photos of your meals with condiments like sliced red onions, lemons, jalapenos, carrots, green beans, and purple cabbage.
HACCP is a systematic approach to identifying, evaluating, and controlling food safety hazards. It provides a structured framework for preventing and addressing potential risks in the food preparation process. This methodical approach involves several fundamental principles:
- Hazard Analysis: The process begins with identifying potential hazards in the food production process. As you already know, these hazards can be biological (pathogens), chemical (contaminants), or physical (foreign objects).
- Critical Control Points (CCPs): These are the specific points in the food production process where control can be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce identified hazards to an acceptable level.
- Critical Limits: These are the criteria and boundaries established for each CCP. They define the acceptable limits that must be met to ensure food safety.
- Monitoring: Regular monitoring of CCPs is crucial to ensure that critical limits are maintained. This involves continuous observation and measurement of various parameters to detect deviations from the established standards.
- Corrective Actions: When deviations are identified during monitoring, corrective actions must be taken. These actions are designed to bring the process back within critical limits and ensure food safety.
- Verification: Verification involves confirming that the HACCP system is effectively controlling hazards. You can do it through activities such as testing and reviews.
- Record-Keeping: Comprehensive and accurate records are essential in HACCP. They provide documentation of the entire process, including the mentioned steps.
Download this PDF to see some examples of actual HACCP plans for fermented products. The examples are from Multnomah County in Oregon.
Implementing a robust HACCP plan is essential for most businesses willing to start in-house fermentation. There is an exemption, though. 21 CFR 117.5(a)) exempts businesses averaging less than $1,000,000 (adjusted for inflation) during the three years before that current year’s sales and the market value of any food produced that was held without sale from the hazard analysis and preventive controls requirements components. However, they are required to follow current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs). So, if your restaurant is small and falls into the mentioned category, completing the HACCP system isn’t required. Otherwise, compliance with food safety regulations is non-negotiable.
The HACCP is your legal requirement, and adhering to it assures your team and your diners that every precaution has been taken to deliver safe and delectable fermented condiments.
Auxiliary Documents and Procedures
To maintain the highest standards of culinary excellence, a range of auxiliary documents and procedures must be in place:
- Special Process Approval Application. These include unique methods of food preparation, preservation, or presentation. This document provides a structured way to seek approval from relevant authorities or internal review boards.
- Food Process Flow Diagram. This element is a visual representation of the steps involved in the production of a dish. It outlines the sequence of activities, the flow of ingredients, and the critical control points related to safety measures.
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These comprehensive documents lay out standard procedures for various tasks in the kitchen, including but not limited to food preparation and cleaning processes.
- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs). SSOPs describe procedures for cleaning and sanitation in your kitchen.
- Floor Plan. An accurate layout of the processing area with the equipment placement involved in the fermentation process.
Conclusion
Fermentation never went away; it’s just gained more significant traction in the past few years. As a professional chef, you want your menu to be as unique, diverse, and affluent as possible. This includes even the most intricate details, like fermented produce added as condiments. To start in-house fermentation, completing the mentioned procedure is crucial. While doing the paperwork and preparing a dedicated space for fermentation might seem complex, tackling these challenges is well worth the effort.
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Good article with great information!
Thank you!