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HACCP - Key To Food Safety

 
Source 
Express Hotelier and Caterer
By Cyril L Fernandez
Quality Assurance
Manager, RKHS

HACCP (the acronym is pronounced ‘hassop’) stands for Hazard analysis Critical Control Points. It represents a completely new approach to food hygiene management because the HACCP system:

1.Covers all hygiene areas, ie premises, plant equipment, personnel and process in a systematic way, so that no essentials are left out. 

2.Emphasises the direct relationship between hygiene and product safety. The HACCP system and concept were developed in the USA by NASA, the Pillsbury company and the US Army Natick Research Laboratories. Its driving force was to ensure safe microbiological quality of space flight meals. 

HACCP is an internationally recognized system for managing risks associated with food and beverage safety. It is primarily designed to provide increased control during the critical stages of food preparation. 

HACCP is a systematic method which uses seven principle systems for analyzing and controlling food processing. The seven principles of HACCP are as follows:

1. Conducting Hazard analysis

2. Identifying Critical Control Points for each step

3. Establishing Critical Limits

4. Establishing Monitoring requirements

5. Taking corrective action

6. Keeping records

7. Verifying that the HACCP system is working correctly. 

The above can be explained as follows:
Hazard
The unacceptable survival, contamination or growth of micro-organisms harmful to food safety.

Critical Control Point (CCP):
A process, practice, procedure or location which, if controlled correctly, can eliminate, prevent or minimize a hazard.

Critical Limits
Specified limits of characteristics (example time or temperature) that are chemical (example, salt or acetic acid) or biological (example: sensory or microbiological) in nature.

Monitoring
Conducting a planned sequence of observation or measurement to assess whether a CCP is under control.

Documentation:
Written records of monitoring, including corrective action.

Verification:
The use of methods, procedures, tests (eg. Laboratory results, microbiological cleaning controls, hand swabbing) in addition to those used in monitoring to confirm compliance with HACCP plan and/or modifying or revalidating the HACCP plan.

Benefits Of HACCP
There is a growing demand by consumers for food that is of safe quality and increasing  pressure on suppliers to provide it, which makes it imperative for all operators within the food industry to protect their businesses from a negative reputation. Producing defective and contaminated food products can result in food poisoning, product recall, lengthy and expensive legal battles, not to mention, irreparable damage to your organisation’s public image.

What HACCP Means to food industry?
Recognition, which:

* In the case of prosecution, can provide evidence of due diligence.

* Increase consumer confidence in product safety and quality.

* It is possible to integrate both ISO 9000 and HACCP (HACCP 9000)

* Reduces the potential risk of product recall.

* Streamlines the auditing process.

Certification process
HACCP certification applies to every stage of the food chain. If you grow, store, pack, serve or transport food, HACCP is the smartest tool for process management and assists in reducing the risk of product recalls and other industry disasters. Prior to implementing your HACCP plan, you will need to consider the following points:

Formation of an HACCP team
* Agreement on a clear product description

* Definition of your target market

* Preparation and verification of a process flow diagram.