WHAT IS HACCP?
Summary
Gone are the days when our food came from our own fields and orchards as well as backyard farms and sometimes from the hunting. Currently, most of the food we eat is produced on a large-scale industrial scale. Therefore, it is necessary to have a uniform quality system that would guarantee high quality and safety of food we buy in stores. Such a system is Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points – HACCP.
There are 7 basic principles of the HACCP system.
1 – Hazard identification and description of preventive measures
2 – Identification of the critical control points (CCPs)
3 – Identification of critical limits
4 – Establish a CCP monitoring system
5 – Defining corrective actions
6 – Establish system verification procedures
7 – Establishment of recording procedures
The implementation and COMPLIANCE with the principles of the HACCP system should guarantee the elimination, or at least minimization of the risk associated with food production, and at the same time ensuring its safety.
Gone are the days when our food came from our own fields and orchards as well as backyard farms and sometimes from the hunting. You could also shop the food at fairs at befriended farmers.
Currently, most of the food we eat is produced on a large-scale industrial scale. Products are often manufactured in gigantic industrial plants from which they are shipped through a network of wholesalers to centuries of countries. Therefore, it is necessary to have a uniform quality system that would guarantee high quality and safety of food we buy in stores. Currently, the control of this system covers the entire production of broadly understood food, dietary supplements and cosmetics.
What is the HACCP system?
There are 7 basic principles of the HACCP system.
Principle 1 – Identify hazards and describe preventive measures
A team responsible for the creation, implementation and maintenance of the system is formed. A block diagram of the production process is created, which includes all potential threats that may occur at individual stages, such as:
- biological threats (bacteria, viruses, parasites)
- chemical hazards (natural toxins, chemical compounds, pesticides, heavy metals, residues of cleaning agents)
Then the significance of these hazards is estimated and control measures are developed to eliminate or minimize hazards relevant to food safety.
Principle 2 – Identification of the critical control points (CCPs)
The HACCP team identifies the so-called critical control points, i.e. all places in the technological process where, in order to guarantee food safety, it is necessary to carefully control the hazards present there.
Principle 3 – Identification of Critical Limits
For each CCP, limits for measurable parameters are set, which cannot be exceeded because it is synonymous with the loss of safety of the finished product. Examples of such limits are time and temperature in the sterilization process of canned food.
Principle 4 – Establish a CCP monitoring system
Each CCP should have established requirements for the manner and frequency of reading and recording the measurement results of these parameters, and a responsible person for these activities must be indicated.
Principle 5 – Identify corrective actions
Procedures for corrective actions are developed and must be taken when monitoring reveals that established critical limits have been exceeded. Those responsible for taking these actions are appointed.
Principle 6 – Establish system verification procedures
The method of checking the correct functioning of the system is described. Validation of the operation of this system may be based, for example, on the results of microbiological tests on final products or complaints. A common way to verify the system is to conduct internal audits (controls).
Principle 7 – Establish recording procedures
Documentation and records of the HACCP system constitute proof of ensuring food safety, therefore, procedures are developed for the preparation, maintenance, storage and supervision of all documents and records of the HACCP system.
If the manufacturer makes any modifications to the product, the necessary changes should be made to the HACCP documentation.
The implementation and COMPLIANCE with the principles of the HACCP system should guarantee the elimination, or at least minimization of the risk associated with food production, and at the same time ensuring its safety.
You might say: What about the food scandal that the press writes about from time to time? Most often it is the effect of threats that could not be foreseen at the planning stage. Unfortunately, it is also often the result of the employees DISCONDUCT these rules, often with the approval of their management. The cure for that can only be a system of external, independent supervision, but this is a topic for a separate study.
AUTHOR: Dr n. farm. Andrzej Tarasiuk