Learning More about HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic approach to food safety. HACCP is an industry-wide effort designed to improve food safety, especially in retail establishments. The HACCP system deals with a range of existing and potential biological (pathogens), chemical, and physical hazards.
Everyone – from the farmers to the food servers – is responsible for the safety of their food products. Taking a systems approach involves looking at each step of the food handling and preparation process. It is a preventive and proactive maintenance plan rather than a fix-it-when-it-breaks approach. It is essential to be proactive instead of reactive with food safety in order to reduce the chance of food-borne illnesses and protect the quality of food safety products.
The government is very serious about HACCP, and this has caused Americans to become increasingly concerned with food safety as well. Incidences of food-borne illnesses are receiving more and more attention as consumers are becoming more aware of new potentially dangerous food hazards.
The operating principles of the HACCP system can be applied to any food chain activities and to any size business. The seven HACCP principles are:
- Conduct a hazard analysis. Prepare a list of steps in the process where significant hazards occur and describe the preventive measures.
- Identify the Critical Control Points (CCP) in the process.
- Establish critical limits for preventive measures associated with each identified CCP.
- Establish CCP monitoring requirements. Establish procedures for using the results of monitoring to adjust the process and maintain control.
- Establish corrective action to be taken when monitoring indicates that there is a deviation from an established critical limit.
- Establish procedures to verify that the HACCP system is working correctly.
- Establish effective record-keeping procedures that document the HACCP system.
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