The Retail Food Program at SC DHEC began offering HACCP workshops in 2021 for our industry partners who perform “special processes” in their permitted retail food establishments. SC Regulation 61-25, based on the 2017 FDA Model Food Code, requires approved HACCP plans for these processes. We are continuing to offer thesefreeworkshops to assist retail food establishments in meeting this challenge. The process categories we cover include: 

• Reduced oxygen packaging (ROP)  
  • ROP of raw or commercially processed meats or cheeses for storage 
  • Sous Vide cooking 
  • ROP cook-chill (ROP storage of foods cooked in-house by traditional methods) 
• Meat Preservation and Curing 
  • Sausages 
  • Bacon and similar products 
  • Hams, pastrami, and similar products 

In each workshop, the first segment presents formal instruction applying the principles of HACCP specifically to one process category, and in a manner that is more “user-friendly” to retail operators. The second segment presents the thought process to assist operators in writing the HACCP plan from start to finish, including the supporting (prerequisite) policies and procedures as required by the Food Code, using DHEC-provided templates. 

Workshop calendar:

• 9/19/22 ROP HACCP Workshop Segment 1 
• 9/26/22 ROP HACCP Workshop Segment 2 

Interested persons should contact us at foodvariances@dhec.sc.gov for more information or to register for a workshop.