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HACCP
What is HACCP?
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is the foundation of any food safety program. HACCP is a systematic approach to food safety management that aims at identifying and evaluating the food safety hazards (biological, chemical and/or physical) that are likely to occur at any stage in the food supply chain and establishes controls to prevent them from happening.1
Bakeries around the globe that implement the HACCP concept benefit from its boosting effect to the overall quality assurance strategy. Despite its not being theoretically focused on improving quality (this can be arguable in practice), this system can add a lot of value in terms of process control, especially in the baking stage, where meeting the specifications is critical to providing the desired sensory characteristics and to ensure the safety of the bread.
It is important to note that an HACCP does not address quality issues of the products. On the contrary, HACCP scientifically deals with food safety risks. Quality in products can be managed by a separate “quality assurance program” (e.g., ISO 9001).2
Origin
The HACCP concept was created in the 1960s by the Pillsbury Company working in collaboration with NASA and the US Army Research Laboratories. This concept was developed as a food safety system to comply with the strict US manned space program requirements. The objectives were to ensure the wholesomeness of foods for the astronauts to minimize the likelihood of a food poisoning outbreak in space. Back then, food safety and quality control were following a corrective “end-of-pipe” logic (end-product testing), but it was clear that a practical and preventative approach was a priority, as this would give a new level of food safety assurance.
The HACCP system remained secret for a few years, but became public in the 1970s. It was then recognized by the World Health Organization as being the most effective means to control and prevent foodborne illnesses. Food industry members started to participate in trainings and seminars and received assistance from food and public health authorities to implement the HACCP concepts.
Regulatory compliance
The HACCP concept is thoroughly addressed in 21 CFR Part 120 (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point [HACCP] Systems). This rule establishes the applicability (according to business nature), definitions, legal basis, and the conditions needed to properly address the principles of HACCP, e.g., training.3
Application
The HACCP makes use of multidisciplinary professional teams to ensure that decisions about food safety hazards and their control mechanisms are made by people with the right combination of knowledge, skills, and experience to collectively understand the risks to consumer health, and how these risks can be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.1
The HACCP in practice can be developed, implemented, and maintained by following these steps:
- Assemble the HACCP team
- Describe the product
- Identify the intended use of product
- Construct a process flow diagram
- Confirm flow diagram on site
- Conduct hazard analysis (List all potential hazards, conduct a hazard assessment, and consider control measures)
- Determine Critical Control Points (CCP)
- Establish critical limits for each CCP
- Establish a monitoring system for each CCP
- Establish corrective actions
- Establish verification procedures
- Establish documentation and recordkeeping
Steps 1 to 5 are considered preliminary; the rest are considered principles of HACCP itself.
A HACCP glossary1
Process Flow Diagram: Diagram commonly used to indicate the general flow of...