HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Points
Last
Updated March 29, 2001
Growing demand for a harmonized food standards in international
trade fueled the Codex Alimentarious Commission to adopt
HACCP as the international standard for food safety. Today
HACCP is being adopted worldwide, on the recommendation
of the UN's Codex Committee.
So, where did HACCP originate? HACCP is generally credited
to the Pillsbury Corporation, working in the 1960s for NASA,
in seeking non-destructive safety verification for the manufactured
foods fed to the astronauts in space.
A final rule by the United States Food and Drug Administration
(USFDA) in 1995, which took effect in 1997, made HACCP mandatory
for players in the seafood industry. The FDA also incorporated
HACCP into the United States Food Code, Food, Drugs and
Cosmetics Act. The United States Food Code is unique regulation
because it offers guidance to and serves as the model legislation
for state and territorial agencies that license and inspects
food service establishments, retail food stores and food
vending operations in the United States.
Although, under the EU food hygiene legislation, there
are over a dozen measures covering specific products, an
initiative to consolidate all hygiene legislations into
one single text lead to the implementation of EU Hygiene
of Foodstuffs Regulations, 1998. Under this regulation all
proprietors of food businesses must implement HACCP. In
Germany, 1998, HACCP became mandatory under the Hygiene
Verordnung, a German hygiene rule.
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
HACCP was created as a tool to assess hazards and establish
control systems that focus on preventative measures. HACCP
manufacturing quality procedures are aimed specifically
at preventing the introduction of contaminants. HACCP is
applied throughout the food chain from the primary producer
to final consumer. HACCPs objective is to enhance food safety,
create a better use of resources, assure more timely response
to problems and finally to promote international trade by
increasing confidence in food safety. The advantages to
HACCP include
-
A focus on identifying and preventing
hazards from contaminating food
-
It is based on solely on sound science
-
It allows for more efficient and effective
government oversight, primarily because the record keeping
allows investigators to see how well a firm is complying
with food safety laws over a period rather than how well
it is doing on any given day
-
Implementation places responsibility for
ensuring food safety appropriately on the food manufacturer
or distributor
-
The food safety guarantee helps food companies
compete more effectively in the world market
-
Implementation reduces barriers to international
trade
HACCP is unique in that it solves a problem from a holistic
approach. People from all fields are needed to ensure its
success. Examples might be agronomists, veterinarians, production
personnel, microbiologists, medical experts, public health
specialists, food technologists, chemists and engineers according
to the particular study. Because HACCP is a team effort, the
responsibility for a system of quality control management
is put in the hands of the manufacturers and handlers of the
product.
The vision of controlling food from the farm to the table
is possible through this innovative concept of food regulation.
All levels of food processing and handling are involved -
farmers, raw material suppliers, processors, wholesalers at
the retail level, vendors and finally customers. Each stage
of HACCP must be passed to the next holder in an adequately
documented, accountability-guaranteed, safe condition. Each
prior HACCP plan provides data to the next holder's HACCP
system, preserving product integrity to that point. Each must
provide the data to mesh with, and validate, the net holder's
system input.
However, the HACCP plan is not a recipe with listed ingredients
or instructions. Every level of food operation must set their
own rules for a HACCP Plan in advance. Every step, technique
and method must be documented, even if they have been used
for decades. This takes time and trial and error. Usually
after the first HACCP Plan is formulated it takes a few months
of "off-the-record" testing and documentation to write proof
of effectiveness into the plan.
HACCP is formulated on seven principles:
- Identify hazards at all stages of production
- Eliminate hazards or minimize the likelihood of occurrence
- Establish what the critical limit is and formulate suitable
preventive measures
- Establish procedures to monitor the critical control points
- Establish corrective actions to be taken when the critical
control point is not under control
- Establish procedures to verify that the system is working
properly
- Establish effective record keeping to document the HACCP
system
A new trend in harmonization is moving towards HACCP-9000.
This is a unique international program administered by the
US National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and accredited by
the Registrations Accreditation Board (RAB). This new program
integrates HACCP, ISO 9000 and Food Hygiene Practices (FHP).
ISO 9000 is a global standard that provides requirements
and management to promote consistent quality practices.
Codex FHP sets forth fundamental sanitation precepts for
processing and handling. Together under HACCP-9000 , registration
offers an integrated system, which assures food safety and
quality for food/beverage plants or food service establishments,
anywhere in the world.
Next issue :Details on HACCP 9000
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