HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a process control system targeted to recognize and check microbial and other hazards in food production. The process of HACCP involves seven steps starting from preventing hazards before occurring and to correct divergences as soon as they take place. HACCP till date has received worldwide acknowledgement by the scientists and international organizations such as National Academy of Sciences and the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), Codex Alimentarius Commission and the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods for being the most effective approach for producing safe food.
Notably, HACCP is a mere tool and cannot be applied as a stand-alone program. For effective result, other tools such as Good Manufacturing Practices or use of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, and Personal Hygiene Programs are to be adhered to.
What Are The Hazards?
The HACCP seven principles
Initially, HACCP was set on three principles. By 1997, the principles were increased to seven.
Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis.
Principle 2: Identify critical control points.
Principle 3: Establish critical limits for each critical control point.
Principle 4: Establish critical control point monitoring requirements.
Principle 5: Establish corrective actions.
Principle 6: Establish record keeping procedures.
Principle 7: Establish procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended.
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Applying HACCP
Traditionally, a food safety program acts as reactive, i.e. upon the occurrence of a problem in food safety, the process gets evaluated. HACCP, on contrary, is proactive in terms of identifying the potential problems and prohibiting them before they take place. Both the vendors and regulators expect a proper HACCP plan in maintaining food safety. To match the HACCP system, regulators are now turning their attention from walls, floors and ceilings to factors of food contamination. Although implementing HACCP is an intimidating task, yet some of its forms are easy to apply.
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Applying HACCP to insure compliance
ISO 22000:2005 - Food Safety and HACCP
If an organization is part of the food chain, as per ISO 22000 it has to establish a food safety management system to ensure that the food products will not cause any adverse effects on human health. The ISO 22000 international standard specifies the requirements for a food safety management system that involves the following elements:
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Pathogen Control Programs
Pathogen control programs are used to prevent the spread of these food borne illnesses by teaching employees what they must do in order to meet the standards that have been established by the FDA. The number of recalls issued by the FDA has risen significantly in the last few years as the general public is more aware of what the symptoms of these food-borne illnesses are and is no longer hesitant to report them to their doctors who then pass the information directly to the FDA.
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Compliance Training on Food Safety:
