DQM spent the weekend at the New England Meat Conference. It was a fantastic gathering of entrepreneurs, producers, processors, chefs, meat cutters and just about anyone else working to create the New England market for local meats.
And if there was one over riding interest after "isn't this cool? All the people I know and like are in one place!!" it was charcuterie.
From a food safety perspective, charcuterie is challenging. But hey! Let's break it down! Food safety challenges are what we do here at DQM! The following is by no means an exhaustive list, but, it is a good start.
First- figure out what you want to make. And don't just say sausage. Do you want to make Spanish sausage? Mexican? Polish? The more specific you define your product the easier it is going to be. You need a recipe. Even if it is your grandmother's that you used to make in the basement, you need to know what and how much is going into the product
Second- Understand what process steps are. When you write a HACCP plan, you need to have a process flow diagram. And your commercial charcuterie production needs to have one full of excruciating detail. You are going to get inspected on how well you adhere to this flow, and if you don't, there can be huge consequences. Make sure your process flow diagram starts with Receiving Meat.
Third- Once you understand what you are making and how, then start thinking about the whole food safety plan including pre-req programs, the HACCP plan itself, training, and what avenue of inspections are available.
Putting a delicious and safe charcuterie product in the marketplace is absolutely possible. However, it takes attention to detail, and frankly, is tough to do without some help. When you are ready to take that step, give DQM a call, and we will be right there with you to put your wonderful product into the marketplace!
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