Implementing HACCP

Objectives of the HACCP System

The HACCP concept is a systematic approach to hazard identification, assessment and control. From the moment something goes wrong, it is possible to act and react quickly and efficiently. This prevents large sets of products are rejected, and public health is endangered. This system eliminates disadvantages inherent to control by inspectors and microbial end product control. By concentrating only on these factors, which have a direct effect on the safety of the food product, no energy and money should be spent on less important factors. This system is cheaper and more effective compared to the traditional control systems.

By focusing on the critical points, which influence the safety and quality of food products over the complete production line, producers now can show that they are controlling the production conditions and that safe product are provided. Moreover, inspectors are now able to check the effect of the measures in the long term, where earlier inspections gave a picture at a given moment.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points

The HACCP system is a preventive, company-specific, quality system starting at the selection and purchase of raw materials, ingredients and packaging materials, following the complete production process and ending at the final product, ready for consumption.

Why Implementing HACCP?

Quality and safety are often subjected to great stress because of efforts being done to reduce production costs and to increase production speed.

At regular times even renowned companies are confronted with the big nightmare: undesired compounds are found in their products. The consequences are incalculable: the products need to be withdrawn from the market and the quality becomes the talk of the town, with enormous financial losses as a direct consequence. An indirect consequence is the loss of image, not only for the products with the involved trade name but also for similar products, produced by other companies.

Out of the published cases, it is clear that the undesired compounds can have a microbiological, chemical or physical nature and that they can get in the product in all stages of the production process. The question is if it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems by using an appropriate functioning quality management system. And which quality management system offers the best perspectives to assure that the provided products comply with the agreements and legal obligations?

Since the harmonisation of the European legislation, the producer itself is responsible for the quality of the food products, he is producing. The new legislation and regulation in the EU concerning health prescriptions and food hygiene make the producer itself responsible for the safety of his products.

Click here to view a video that explains food safety.

Sometimes, the HACCP concept seems only to be important for the production of food products. However, this is not the case. Raw materials and additives, but also packaging methods and packaging materials, processing equipment, lubricants and cooling agents, measures for general and personal hygiene and also education are parts of the production line that needs to be controlled. From this point of view, companies and establishments, preparing, processing, handling, packaging, transporting, distributing and commercializing food products will ask their suppliers how their production process and quality control system complies with the legal requirements concerning product safety. For example, the suppliers of raw materials and additives, processing equipment, packaging materials, lubricants and cooling agents, hygiene and sanitary facilities will be confronted with this question.

To comply with the legislation and to keep the state of the preferred supplier, the food industry identifies in a systematic way the CCPs and defines and implement efficient control measures for these CCPs; in other words, establishes and implements the HACCP concept.