HACCP? Discover the 12 steps defined by the Codex Alimentarius
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a preventive and systematic approach to food safety that provides a methodology for identifying, evaluating, minimizing, or eliminating significant hazards. Companies focused on protecting food safety need to satisfy at least three key factors: secure strong management commitment, ensure that all HACCP team members are familiar with the methodology—which includes five preliminary steps and seven principles—and train all staff.
However, it’s important to be aware that having worked in the food industry for many years does not automatically qualify you to become a HACCP expert, nor does it qualify you as a trained member of a HACCP team. As a methodology that focuses on food safety by assessing and minimizing, controlling, or eradicating biological, chemical, and physical hazards from the production and/or receipt of raw materials to the handling, manufacturing, and distribution of food products, it’s necessary to understand HACCP principles and be trained in the HACCP system to be part of this team.
As society evolves and powerful communication tools such as the internet and social media become available, consumers have become more demanding and inflexible when choosing their products. Currently, negative publicity, including product recalls, appears in news reports around the world, so everyone can learn about what happened. Therefore, it’s essential to have a solid HACCP program that helps you protect your business, your reputation, and the safety of your products.
.
.
HACCP principles have been successfully applied in food manufacturing and processing plants, food packaging manufacturers, and food distribution centers. The seven HACCP principles have been accepted by many government agencies, trade associations, and the food industry.
The Food Code or Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius is a set of standards, guidelines, and codes of practices approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the core element of the Joint Food Standards Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Codex Alimentarius covers all foods, whether manufactured, processed, semi-processed, or raw. It also contains general rules regarding food labeling, food hygiene, food additives, and pesticide residues; as well as procedures for assessing the safety of foods derived from modern biotechnology; good hygiene practices (GHP) and HACCP guidelines, among other information.
According to the AIB International Consolidated Standards for Food Inspection, for products that do not require a regulatory food safety plan, a HACCP program based on the Codex Alimentarius must be drafted and implemented. You can download a free copy of AIB International’s Consolidated Standards for Inspection here.
HACCP in the world
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mandated that meat and poultry manufacturers have a written HACCP plan, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has mandated that seafood companies, juice companies, and low-acid canned food companies have a written and implemented HACCP plan.
.
.<
Food businesses in Europe are legally responsible for the safety of the food they produce, transport, store, and sell. Throughout the European Union, food operators must establish, implement, and maintain written procedures based on HACCP principles. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been working to develop HACCP implementation capacity in numerous countries in the eastern part of the region, including Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, among others.
For most food businesses in Australia, having a food safety program based on HACCP principles is a legal requirement. Standard 3.2.1 of the Food Standards Code outlines this requirement.
The Quality Council of India has released two certification schemes, called “IndiaGHP” and “IndiaHACCP,” based on globally accepted Codex Standards, for adoption by food manufacturers and supply chain operators. The goal is to demonstrate compliance with global standards without having to obtain foreign certifications related to HACCP or Good Hygiene Practices (GHP).
HACCP certification is not mandatory in Nigeria. However, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is inviting food producers and exporters to participate in the voluntary HACCP certification process to improve their export opportunities by meeting the criteria established in the European Union and other countries.
Mexico has legislation NOM-251-SSA1-2009, which defines the minimum requirements for good hygiene practices that must be observed during the production of food, beverages, or dietary supplements and their raw materials to prevent contamination throughout the process. While the legislation addresses HACCP, it establishes that “each company must be responsible for applying the principles of the HACCP system. However, the government and companies are aware that there may be obstacles to the effective implementation of this system by the company itself.”
By Cristina Bernal, Regional Quality Assurance Manager at AIB International
Source: www.blog.aibinternational.com
.
