What is HACCP?
Definition: A system, which identifies specific hazards and preventative measures for their control to minimise the risk of producing defective products and services.
Who needs HACCP?
It applies to all those who are in the chain of providing a food product to the customer.
Why do you need e haccp?
e haccp management system software, is a market leader product to provide an integrated management solution to food safety.
What does e haccp do for you?
e haccp provides a systematic approach to fulfil the requirements needed for an auditable food safety control, within a management system meeting the legislative requirement.
Incorporated within the package are financial analysis, management resource program and a traceable incident system.
Overview
The acronym HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, which is a prevention based food safety system. HACCP systems are designed to prevent the occurrence of potential food safety problems. This is achieved by assessing the risks attributable to a product or process and then determining the necessary steps required that would control those risks. HACCP is a system, which identifies and monitors specific food-borne hazards – Biological, chemical or physical properties that can affect the safety of food. This hazard analysis serves as a basis for establishing critical control points (CCPs) in a process that must be controlled to ensure the safety of food. Critical limits are established that document the appropriate parameters that must be met for each CCP. Monitoring and verification are included in the system to ensure potential risks are controlled and are documented in the HACCP plan.
Background
HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) was initially developed by the Pillsbury Company in the USA, with the co-operation and participation for the space program (NASA). It comprised a systematic series of steps to check that foods destined to be consumed in Space, was 100% safe for consumption. Every aspect of the Manufacturing processes was taken into consideration, to ensure the elimination of hazardous contamination, for food that was to be consumed, by the astronauts during space flight.
HACCP replaced end product testing to provide food safety assurance and a preventative system for the production of safe food. This system has been adopted universally.
The National Academy of Science (NAS) recommended the use of the system in 1985. The system became used world wide and the FAO (Food Agriculture Organisation) and WHO (World Health Organisation) Codex Alimentarius cited the system in the CODEX.
HACCP represents an important food protection tool. HACCP is not limited to food franchises or chains. The concept can be applied by small individual food businesses, as well as National or Regional companies. Employee training is a key essential. Establishment management must follow by routinely monitoring the food operation to verify that employees are keeping the process under control by complying with the critical limits.
In 1993 The European Regulation 93/43 EG (European Guidelines) from 14.7.93 provides the use of the system for the production of food. The European Commission is trying to improve Safety of food by having published two documents, "Consumer Health and Food Safety and The General Principles of Food Law" in the European Union.
The HACCP concept is now introduced by the Hygiene Rule 93/43/EWG (due to be released as a REQUIREMENT) in the production line of food in Europe. It bears the main ideas from the internationally accepted HACCP system of the FAO/WHO CODEX Alimentarius. The HACCP is a system demanded by the EG Hygiene Directives and avoids hazards to the health of the consumer. Everything, which is not a hazard to the health of the consumer, is not covered by the system.
Today in the food industry HACCP is used widely, as a way of critically examining each stage of a process, and it's vulnerability to a hazard. Particular attention is then given at that point, and once the potential hazard has been identified, measures are implemented to eliminate or minimise it. HACCP is not just for the larger operators, and should not be a sophisticated or complicated program. It is applicable to all elements of the industry, both small and large, independent or corporations if they are to provide safe food.
HACCP system considerations include:
- Factors that contribute to most outbreaks of food poisoning
- Risk Assessment techniques to identify and prioritise hazards
In 1993, legislation within the EU, set up directives regarding temperature control measures, for the storage of cold and the cooking or re-heating of foods. The EU Directive covers general principles of the hygienic handling of food. Today's legislation demands that each and every food handler must be aware of his or her responsibility to provide "SAFE FOOD". As a way of enforcing this directives and guidelines from organisations such as FAO/WHO have led countries to create regulations governing food, its production transportation and retail. The Codex Committee on General Principles deals with rules and procedures referred to it by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which define the purpose and scope of Codex standards. They provide support to the FAO/WHO Secretariat. There is a requirement that member states should encourage the production of industry codes of practice. These are called CODEX ELIMENTARIS PRINCIPLES. EU directives on which member states have formulated their own Food Hygiene Regulations have been based on the CODEX Principles.
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