Three images. One with someone vacuum sealing food. Another with deli meats on a wooden board. Another with someone cutting scallions with other vegetables and spices on the counter.

Specialized Food Processes (HACCP)

“Specialized processing” is a method of preparing foods that have an increased risk of foodborne illness. Under the Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules and Regulations, specialized processes require a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. Specialized processes include reduced oxygen packaging (ROP), commonly referred to as cryovacking, as well as acidification, fermentation, and curing.

HACCP is a proactive, scientifically proven food safety program. A HACCP plan is a prescriptive, comprehensive document that aims to ensure the safe receiving, handling, preparation, and holding of food to help ensure the delivery of a safe product to consumers. Since specialized processes create an increased risk of foodborne illness, it is the responsibility of operators to prove that their process methodology will result in safe food production for the end consumer.

Types of Specialized Processes

Special Process	Variance Required	Variance Exceptions	HACCP Plan Required	HACCP Plan Exceptions
Reduced Oxygen Packaging	It depends	Methods under 3-502.12 with validated process	Yes	-
Sprouting	Yes	-	Yes	-
Custom Processing for Personal Use	Yes	-	Yes	-
Operating Live Molluscan Shellfish Tank	Yes	-	Yes	-
Curing, Drying, Smoking of Fish	Yes	Smoking for flavor enhancement, color, or part of cooking process	Yes	Smoking for flavor enhancement, color, or part of cooking process
Curing, Smoking of Meat/Poultry	Yes	Smoking for flavor enhancement, color, or part of cooking process	Yes	Smoking for flavor enhancement, color, or part of cooking process
Drying of Meat/Poultry	Yes	-	Yes	-
Fermentation of Sausages	Yes	-	Yes	-
Adding Components to Extend Shelf Life	Yes	-	Yes	-
Juice Processing and Packaging	No	A performance standard of 5 log reduction required	Yes	Warning label can be applied in lieu of HACCP plan

Preparing to Submit Plans

All plan documents must be submitted electronically. Printed documentation will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.

Creating a HACCP Plan

Required Documents in the HACCP Plan

The following documents are required. Your application will be denied if any required documents are missing.

Hazard analysis description/process
HACCP Team members/roles
Food flows –critical control points(CCP), critical limits, and corrective actions
Monitoring devices and frequency, including information about continuous temperature monitoring devices
Equipment information (must be commercial)
Standard Recipes
Recordkeeping/location
Employee training procedures
Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Tools

Completing and Submitting Plans

Completing and Submitting the HACCP Plan

It will take approximately 15 – 60 minutes to complete the plan review form, depending on the complexity of your plan.

The form must be completed in one session (it cannot be saved and returned to).

You will need:

A Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card for payment.
Learn more about fees and payment.

Application for Specialized Processes

Application Fees

The application fee is payable when the plan is submitted.

The fee is $400 and is payable by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express or check

Payment via Credit Card or Electronic Check

If paid by credit card, there is an additional fee of $.75 plus 2.25% of the total cost.

If paid by electronic check, there is an additional fee of $1.00.

There is no fee for K-12 schools or for non-profit organizations serving populations with limited incomes (serving solely people who are food insecure).

Review Process

After you have submitted the plan review form, a plan review specialist will review your plan and notify you within 14 business days to let you know if the plans were approved or if more information or changes are needed.

Approved: If the plans are approved, you may begin processing immediately. An operational inspection will be conducted 30 days or more after verification of processes.
Not Approved: If the plans are not approved, you will be required to submit revised plans. Review of revised plans can take up to an additional 14 business days. Missing or incomplete information is the most common reason that plans are not approved.
Change: If your plans change after they have been approved, you may be required to submit revised plans and pay additional fees.

Specialized Process Requiring Variance

Specialized processing methods are covered under section 3-502.11 in the Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules and Regulations and includes processes such as curing, fermentation, custom processing, and sprouting seeds/beans.

Specialized processing methods require a variance from CDPHE and also generally require a HACCP plan. Since HACCP plans for these processes can be more complex than other plans, operators can have a hard time meeting the regulatory requirements. In these cases, a process authority is recommended to help the operator write their HACCP plan.

Process Authority Directory