HACCP- Are you in Compliance
AS OF JANUARY 26, 1998 HACCP IS NOW LAW FOR meat, poultry and seafood processors in the US. This science-based system will improve food safety and reduce the incidence of foodborne illness attributed to meat and poultry products. The old food inspection program was based on a "see, smell and touch" approach that relied more on detection of potential hazards than prevention. Today,
microbiological and chemical contamination are of greater importance to food safety.
What does HACCP mean?
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is a way for industry to control and prevent problems, and ensure safe food by controlling the production process from beginning to end, rather than detecting problems at the end of the line. HACCP identifies where hazards might occur in the food production process and puts into place actions to prevent the hazards from occurring. By controlling major food risks, such as microbiological, chemical and physical contaminants, the industry can better assure consumers that its products are safe.
How does HACCP work?
There are seven principles that serve as the foundation for a HACCP system.
1. Conduct a hazard analysis to identify potential hazards that could occur in the food production process.
2. Identify the critical control points (CCPs) - those points in the process where the potential hazards could occur and can be prevented and/or controlled.
3. Establish the critical limits that must be met at each identified CCP. A critical limit is a criterion that must be met for each CCP.
4. Establish CCP monitoring requirements to ensure each CCP stays within its limit. Monitoring may require materials or devices to measure or otherwise evaluate the process at CCPs.
5. Establish corrective action to be taken when there is a deviation identified by monitoring of a CCP. In case a problem occurs, corrective actions must be in place to ensure no public health hazard occurs.
6. Establish effective record keeping procedures that document the HACCP system is working properly. Records should document CCP monitoring, verification activities and deviation records.
7. Establish procedures for verifying that the HACCP system is working properly. Verification consists of methods, procedures and tests used to determine that the HACCP system is in compliance with the HACCP plan.
What are critical control points (CCPs)?
A CCP is defined as any point or procedure in a specific food system where loss of control could result in an unacceptable health risk. Each CCP will have one or more control measures to assure that the identified hazards are prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels. For microbiological hazards, for example, a target water activity must be established to prevent hazardous organisms from growing.
What are critical limits?
A critical limit is a maximum and/or minimum value to which a biological, chemical or physical parameter must be controlled at a CCP to prevent, eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level the occurrence of a food safety hazard. Critical limits may be based on factors such as: temperature, time, water activity, or pH. A critical limit is used to distinguish between safe and unsafe operating conditions at a CCP. Critical limits should not be confused with operational limits, which are established for reasons other than food safety.