Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point principles are an important tool to produce or distribute safe feed and food products.

What is HACCP?

HACCP is a science based system that enables the introduction and maintenance of a cost effective ongoing food safety program. It allows food businesses to establish a higher degree of food safety that could not be achieved by following basic good hygiene practices alone.

Through the implementation of HACCP, all stages of food and feed production are systematically assessed to identify and control the critical points for food and feed safety.

HACCP Principles

HACCP systems are developed following a 7-step procedure:

1. Conduct a hazard analysis: Identify any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.

2. Determine the critical control points: Identify the critical control points at the steps at which control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard or to reduce it to acceptable levels.

3. Establish critical limits: Establish limits at critical control points which separate acceptability from unacceptability for the prevention, elimination or reduction of identified hazards.

4. Establish a system to monitor control of each CCP: Establish and implement effective monitoring procedures at critical control points.

5. Establish corrective actions: Establish corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not under control.

6. Establish procedures for verification: Establish procedures which will be carried out regularly to confirm the HACCP system is working effectively

7. Establish documentation and records: Establish documents and records concerning all procedures appropriate to these principles to demonstrate their effective application

Prerequiste Program for HACCP

The HACCP tool concentrates on the critical control points for food and feed safety. It is important the business operates in accordance with good manufacturing practices and complies with relevant legislation as a prerequisite program to HACCP.

A prerequisite program is defined as the programs put in place in the facility in order to control hazards in the environment and prevent the contamination of the product. This program ensures a hygienic environment and good manufacturing processes for personnel that reduce the risk of contamination of the product.

What we would like you to do

HACCP is a legislative requirement in the EU. However, some companies face difficulties implementing HACCP. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations put together examples of the application of HACCP for mycotoxin control.

Please review these examples here to see how HACCP are implemented within a feed or food business.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

• Did the examples help you to understand how a HACCP study is implemented?
• What do you think may be the main difficulties in implementing a HACCP program?