Food truck HACCP plan: what to write and how to run it on a service day
A food truck HACCP plan is a short written document that says which foods on your menu can make people sick, the temperatures and times you keep them to, how often you check them, and what you do when a check fails. Many mobile permits ask for a plan or a similar written food safety procedure, and a truck is easier to write one for than a restaurant, because the menu is small and the kitchen is a few square metres.
This guide covers whether you need a plan, how a truck changes the hazards, a worked set of rows, and a log that fits a lunch rush. It is a how-to and not legal advice. A mobile permit is issued by the county or city where you operate, and some counties require a plan, some a commissary agreement, some both. The general method is in our HACCP plan for a restaurant guide; here we adapt it to a vehicle.
Do I need a HACCP plan for a food truck?
Often not as a formal HACCP plan, but you almost always need the written pieces a plan is made of. A mobile food permit application typically asks for a menu, the commissary (the licensed kitchen where you prep, store and clean), a description of how you keep food hot and cold, your water and waste setup, and a way to wash hands. Specialized processes, such as vacuum packaging or curing, still need a plan [1].
Ask your county health department three questions before you build the truck out:
- Do you want a written HACCP plan or a food safety procedure with my permit application, and do you have a form?
- Which commissary, if any, must I use, and how often must the truck report to it?
- Which hot and cold holding limits apply (135°F or 140°F hot; 41°F cold) and which thermometer type do you want in each unit?
Even when nothing requires a plan, one helps. Inspectors at events and in lots can be new to your menu. A page of logs and a short plan on a clipboard answers most of their questions in two minutes.
What is different about a truck
The seven HACCP principles do not change. The hazards do, and a good plan names them.
- Small cold storage that loses temperature. Under-counter refrigeration is opened often in a rush and sits next to a griddle and a fryer. A unit that reads 38°F at 10 a.m. may read 46°F at 1 p.m. See cold holding temperature for causes and fixes.
- Hot holding on propane or a small electric well. Steam wells and warmers on a generator can drop when a second appliance starts. See hot holding temperature.
- Heat in the cab. A parked truck in summer sun pushes the air above 90°F, which hurts both the refrigeration and the people.
- Limited water. A tank of fresh water and a tank of waste water. When fresh water runs low, handwashing gets skipped. Write the refill trigger into the plan.
- Prep somewhere else. Most of the raw handling may happen at the commissary. The plan covers transport: how food gets from the commissary to the truck in a cooler that stays at 41°F or below.
- Few people, many jobs. One person may take orders, cook and handle cash. The plan has to be simple enough that this works: glove changes after cash, one probe thermometer per station.
- Events and moving locations. A temporary event may need its own permit and its own handwashing setup.
Step 1: group the menu
A truck menu has five to fifteen items. Group them by how they are cooked and held:
| Group | Example items | Main control |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled raw meat and poultry | Chicken tacos, carne asada | Cooking temperature, then hot holding |
| Ground meat | Burgers | Cook to 155°F (Food Code), serve at once |
| Cold prep | Pico, slaw, cut tomatoes, sauces with dairy | Cold holding at 41°F or below |
| Cooked starch | Rice, beans, pasta | Cooling after cooking, then hot or cold holding |
| Fried items | Fries, wings | Cooking temperature, oil quality; serve at once |
| Eggs and dairy | Breakfast sandwiches | Cooking temperature; cold storage of eggs |
You will have three or four groups, not fifty dishes. That is the advantage of a truck.
Step 2: set the limits (the numbers to put on a card)
These are the FDA Food Code values most states and counties use [1]. Replace any that your local code changes.
- Cold holding: 41°F (5°C) or below.
- Hot holding: 135°F (57°C) or above; 140°F in some places, including New York City.
- Cooking: poultry 165°F; ground meat 155°F; whole cuts of beef, pork and fish 145°F; eggs cooked for immediate service 145°F.
- Reheating food that was cooked and cooled: 165°F within two hours.
- Cooling: from 135°F to 70°F in two hours, then to 41°F in four more hours.
- Time as a control: food without temperature control for no more than four hours, written procedure and times marked, if your department allows it [1].
Print them on a card and tape it inside the truck, at eye level, next to the thermometer.
Step 3: worked rows for a taco truck
| Step | Hazard | Limit | Check | If it fails |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport from commissary | Food warms in the cooler | 41°F or below on arrival | Probe one item per cooler when loading in | Discard anything over 41°F for more than 4 hours |
| Under-counter cooler | Door opened often; engine heat | 41°F or below | Thermometer inside; read at open, midday, close | Move food to the ice cooler; log; call the repair |
| Grill chicken | Bacteria survive | 165°F core | Probe the thickest piece of each batch | Keep cooking; re-probe |
| Hot hold on the steam well | Growth | 135°F or above | Probe every 2 hours | Reheat to 165°F within 2 hours or discard |
| Cold toppings on ice or in a rail | Rail warms up in the sun | 41°F or below | Probe at open and every 2 hours | Replace ice; discard if over 41°F for more than 4 hours |
| Hand wash | Cross-contamination | Soap, warm water, paper towels at the sink | Check the tank at open and mid-shift | Refill; close the window if the sink is unusable |
| Close down | Leftover food kept | Discard hot food kept over time per plan, or cool properly | Close-out checklist | Discard |
Step 4: a service-day log
Check at the natural breaks: when you open, before the rush, after it, and at close. One sheet per day.
| Time | Cooler | Cold rail | Steam well | Chicken core | Sink / water ok? | Initials / action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30 | 38°F | 39°F | 150°F | - | yes | AL |
| 12:00 | 40°F | 43°F | 142°F | 171°F | yes | AL / rail 43°F: ice added, back to 39°F by 12:20 |
| 14:30 | 41°F | 40°F | 138°F | - | top up | AL / refilled fresh water |
The row at 12:00 is the one that proves the plan works: a number above the limit, the action and the recheck. If you do not want to build your own sheet, print the free temperature logs and add a "water ok?" column by hand. Our guide to the restaurant temperature log sheet explains each column.
What else belongs in the truck binder
- The permit, commissary agreement and last inspection report.
- The menu and the group table.
- The limits card and the corrective-action page.
- Thermometer calibration record (ice water reads 32°F).
- Staff food handler cards and training dates.
- A supplier list and receipts for the food you buy.
- The cleaning and sanitizing schedule, including how you wash and sanitize at the commissary.
Mistakes food truck plans make
- Only checking at open. Trouble shows in the afternoon. Check at the breaks.
- A thermometer that stays in the drawer. Each cold unit needs a thermometer inside it, and you need a probe for food.
- No plan for a failed cooler. Decide in advance where the food goes: ice chests, a second cooler, the commissary.
- Skipping the water check. No water means no handwashing, and a closed window until it is fixed.
- Plan copied from a restaurant. A fryer cook-line and a walk-in are not on your truck. Delete what you do not have.
- Not updating when the menu changes. A new rice bowl adds a cooling step.
Questions
Does a food truck need a HACCP plan?
Not always as a formal HACCP plan, but most mobile permits need written procedures on temperatures, handwashing, commissary use and sanitizing. A plan is required for specialized processes. Ask your county.
What temperature must a food truck keep cold food at?
41°F or below under the FDA Food Code. Some places use a lower number; follow your local rule.
How often should I log temperatures on a food truck?
At open, before and after the rush, and at close, at least every two to four hours while serving. Whatever you choose, write it in the plan and do it.
Do I need a commissary?
Most jurisdictions require a base of operations for prep, storage, water and waste. Some trucks with full on-board facilities are exempt. Ask the permit office.
What do inspectors check on a truck?
Food temperatures, thermometers, handwashing setup and water, sanitizer, storage off the floor, permits and handler cards, and the records. See also HACCP critical control points examples for how to pick which steps to monitor.
Can I use a template?
Yes, as a shape. Cut anything your truck does not do, put in your menu, and use your county's numbers.
For a truck, the logs matter more than the binder. Start with the free temperature logs and ask us about a plan built from your menu.
Sources
- FDA Food Code (holding, cooking, cooling, time as a control, specialized processes), U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- HACCP principles and application guidelines, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Safe minimum internal temperature chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
Related: all food safety guides.