Chapter: Operations & Documentation
Section: Process Controls
Sub-section: F.B.14.12 Thawing

Elements

The regulatory requirements contained in this guideline will be met when:

F.B.14.12 (01) Thawing practices control or mitigate microbial growth, or other contamination. (Risk Ranking: High)

Rationale

Thawing practices should limit the amount of time that a fish product is kept at temperatures that allow microbial growth. Some pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, can grow at refrigeration temperatures. Temperature control is also important to control the risk of chemical contamination in scombroid fish (e.g. tuna, mahi-mahi, marlin, bluefish), where certain bacteria convert histidine present in the fish into histamine. High levels of histamine can lead to scombroid poisoning.

Fish products can be thawed in either water or in air (still air or air blast).

One example of an acceptable thawing practice is to use water that is continuously running, and at a temperature of 16-18 degrees Celsius. Once the fish products reach an internal temperature of between -1 degree Celsius and 1 degree Celsius, the products are removed from the water, and the temperature throughout the product is allowed to equilibrate to 2-3 degrees Celsius.

Another example of an acceptable thawing practice is to use air to thaw fish products in an area with a temperature less than 15 degrees Celsius. Once the product temperature reaches 2-3 degrees Celsius, the product should be processed immediately or stored under refrigeration.

For any type of thawing (air or water), the temperature of the fish product should not rise above refrigeration temperatures (4 degrees Celsius) to limit microbial growth. If the temperature of your product exceeds 4 degrees Celsius, you should have a process to mitigate the food safety risk.

If fish products are packaged under oxygen-limited conditions (such as vacuum-packaging, etc.), Clostridium botulinum may grow and produce toxin if the temperature of the fish product rises above 3.3 degrees Celsius. Examples of ways to mitigate this risk include opening anaerobic packaging so that contents are exposed to oxygen during thawing or demonstrating that the temperature of the product does not exceed 3.3 degrees Celsius at any time in the thawing process.

Best practices include:

  • fish products should be thawed as quickly as possible to minimize the potential for bacterial growth,
  • thawing practices for fish products should minimize contamination of the product being thawed and cross-contamination of other products,
  • thawing time depends on several factors, including the size and shape of the product (particularly its thickness), and the temperature of the thawing medium (air, water),
  • thermometers should be used to monitor internal product temperature during thawing, and time/temperature should be recorded.

The process control procedures for thawing products should contain the following technical process information:

  • description of the thawing method (e.g. air, water),
  • time and temperature parameters of thawing method (e.g. water temperature, air temperature),
  • product temperature monitoring,
  • in addition, refer to FPG Process Controls – General.

Regulatory References

Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001; O. Reg. 465/19 s. 25 (3), 43, 51, 52, 53 (3), 55, 56

    1. Equipment used at a fish processing plant to cook, heat, treat, refrigerate or freeze a fish product must be designed and maintained so that it is effective in achieving any standards or temperatures that are required by this Regulation.
    1. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that fish products and ingredients are kept at a temperature and humidity that keeps them safe during processing, packaging, labelling, storing and handling.
    2. The operator shall ensure that the temperature of every refrigerator used for the cooling or storage of fish products is maintained at 4 degrees Celsius or lower.
    3. The operator shall ensure that the temperature of every freezer used for the freezing or storage of fish products is maintained at a temperature that will keep the products frozen.
    4. The operator shall ensure that the temperature and humidity of every room in the fish processing plant used by the operation where fish products are received, processed, packaged, labelled, shipped, stored or handled are controlled to prevent the contamination of fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials.
    1. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that written process control procedures are developed, implemented and monitored to effectively identify any risk of contamination of fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials and to prevent, eliminate or minimize any identified risk.
    2. The operator shall ensure that at the time the process control procedures referred to in subsection (1) are performed and monitored, a record is created that includes,
      1. the date the procedure was performed and monitored;
      2. the results of the monitoring, including any deviations from the process control procedures; and
      3. the actions taken in response to any deviations from the process control procedures, including disposing of the fish product or taking measures to produce a safe fish product.
    3. The operator shall ensure that the process control procedures referred to in subsection (1),
      1. are reviewed as needed in order to,
        1. evaluate whether the procedures are being properly implemented, and
        2. verify the effectiveness of the implemented procedures with respect to producing a safe fish product; and
      2. are updated as needed.
    4. The operator shall ensure that at the time a review referred to in clause (3) (a) is undertaken, a record is created that includes,
      1. the date the review was performed; and
      2. the results of the review.
    5. The operator shall ensure that every record created under this section,
      1. is kept for at least one year from the date the record is created; and
      2. is readily accessible.
  2. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that any regulatable activities engaged in by the operation are performed in a manner that minimizes the risk of contamination of fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials and produces fish products that are safe.
    1. The operator shall ensure that each fish product referred to in subsection (1) is prepared in accordance with its corresponding recipe.
    1. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials involved in any regulatable activities engaged in by the operation are,
      1. stored and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of contamination;
      2. stored at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius or less, if they must be refrigerated; and
      3. are kept frozen, if they must be frozen.
    2. With respect to the ingredients referred to in subsection (1),
      1. each ingredient must be labelled to indicate the name of the ingredient and, if the ingredient is comprised of more than one component, a list of the components; and
      2. if an ingredient’s packaging contains instructions for use, those instructions must be kept at the fish processing plant and readily available to the employees of the operation.
  2. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that every fish product processed, labelled or packaged by the operation is,
    1. processed, packaged, labelled or stored in accordance with this Regulation; and
    2. safe.