According to the definition provided by the Codex Alimentarius, HACCP is a system for identifying, assessing, and controlling hazards significant to food safety. HACCP is a management system in which food safety is considered through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material input, handling, production, distribution, to the consumption of the final product.

 

The HACCP system consists of two basic components: Hazard Analysis (HA) and Critical Control Points (CCP). HA involves risk analysis, identifying hazards at each stage of food production, and assessing their impact on human health. CCP represents procedures in production where the risk to food safety can be prevented or eliminated, or its impact reduced to an acceptable level. Simply put, they are points that can be controlled.

• Hazard - Health risk at a specific point in the food production process.
• Analysis - Analysis of the hazard of possible contamination of the product at each point in the food production process.
• Critical - Determining critical points in the process for the health safety of the product.
• Control - Control of critical points in the process.
• Point - Point in the food production process.

The primary goal of the HACCP concept is to produce safe food products. This method involves producing food that is safe for consumption through preventive action rather than reactive (inspection) action. The HACCP system entails establishing responsibility for food safety among all participants in the food production chain.

HACCP is a flexible system that adapts to all types of products in every link of the production, distribution, and food handling chain, "from farm to table." Branches of the food industry that require the HACCP system include:

• Production, processing, and packaging
• Storage, transport, and distribution
• Preparation and distribution of food for hospitals, childcare facilities, hotels, restaurants
• Retail, wholesale, and catering
• Organic food industry

For an organization to successfully develop and implement an HACCP plan, it is necessary to first define its scope (areas of application of the plan) and objective (hazard analysis and identification of points where risks are greatest and where they can be controlled, i.e., reduced or eliminated).

The prerequisite for quality definition of the scope and objective of the HACCP Plan are the following activities or 5 steps that the organization must undertake:

• Training and formation of an HACCP team
• Product description
• Determination of intended use of the product
• Development of process flow diagrams
• Verification of process flow diagrams

The development and implementation of HACCP are carried out through 7 principles:

1. Hazard Analysis - Identifies hazards that could be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to an acceptable level. Risks can be biological, such as microbes, chemical, such as toxins, and physical, such as metal fragments or glass.
2. Identification of Critical Control Points - Processes are mapped, process diagrams are created, and critical points are identified; points in food production - from raw materials through processing and shipping to consumption by the customer - where potential risks can be controlled: cooking, packaging, cooling, and metal detection.
3. Establishing Critical Limits at Critical Points - It is necessary to designate critical limits for the identified hazard. In other words, it is necessary to mark the boundary that separates acceptable from unacceptable.
4. Monitoring Procedures - Establishing a system of monitoring specified controls and/or laboratory testing to ensure their accuracy/validity.
5. Corrective Actions - Procedures to be applied if monitoring shows that critical control points are not under control.
6. Establishing Verification Procedures - Procedures for verifying the validity of the HACCP system. Introducing additional tests or parallel checks to ensure the correct operation of the main parts of the system according to the intended standards.
7. Documentation Preparation - Documentation system that accurately records details of all production operations: technological aspects (time, temperature, and microbiological parameters), and personal responsibilities of employees.

Unlike traditional product inspection at the end of the production process, HACCP represents an integrated preventive system that ensures food safety at every part of the production and distribution process, thus contributing to reducing health risks to the population.

The advantages of implementing this system are:

• Reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses
• Ensuring the supply of health-safe food products to the population
• Compliance with regulatory requirements and more efficient inspection supervision
• Enabling more effective and efficient operation of food companies
• Increasing competitiveness in the global market
• Removing barriers to international trade
• Facilitating the effective introduction of new technologies and products
• Increasing profit

HACCP is not an independent program but part of a larger control system that includes the implementation of universal procedures applied to control general conditions and the environment of production, contributing to product safety. Programs that need to be adopted, implemented, and documented include:

• GMP - Good Manufacturing Practice
• SOP - Standard Operating Procedures
• SSOP - Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures

The application of HACCP is compatible with the implementation of quality management systems, such as ISO 9000 series standards.

After the implementation, it is necessary to conduct: continuous maintenance and upgrading of the system, ongoing internal and external monitoring, system adjustment in case of changes in the technological process or changes in raw materials, and finally, system certification.

 

For more information, visit the official Codex Alimentarius website here.