What is HACCP?

HACCP is widely recognized in the food industry as an effective approach good production, sanitation and manufacturing practices safe foods.

It was developed nearly 35 years ago for astronauts, the FDA intends to eventually use it for much of the United States food supply.

The program for astronauts focuses on preventing hazards that could cause food borne illnesses by applying science-based controls, from raw material to finished products.

HACCP systems establish process control though identifying points in the production process that are most critical to monitor and control.

It provides feedback to direct corrective actions. HACCP’s preventive focus is seen as more cost effective than testing a product and them destroying or reworking it.

The system can be applied to control at any stage in the food system.

By focusing inspection at CCPs, HACCP improves the scientific basis for safety and control processes.

A CCP is “any point in the chain of food production from raw materials to finished product where the loss of control result in unaccepted food safety risk”.

Critical control points (CCP) may be located at any pint in the food production and manufacturing system for a food product where hazards need to be either prevented, elimination or reduce acceptable levels.

Monitoring of CCPs is done best by using indicators that can be measured easily. This focus on measurable indicators provides a more cost-effective approach to control than product sampling and testing, which is expensive and may not provide timely results.

CCP’s must be carefully developed and documented. They must be used only for purposes of product safety or where use must be justified by the critical nature of the CCP.

This especially important food borne ,microbial pathogens, because their incidence is low and costs of testing are high.

Effective control mechanisms are put in place to ensure that then the potential failure are prevented from occurring.

The second type of regulation coming into wider use is food product labeling to indicate potential hazards or methods of food production.

This allow consumers who are at higher risks to choose safer products or to prepare food so as to avoid risk.

The original system was pioneered by the Pillsbury Company working alongside NASA and the US Army Laboratories at Natick.

It was based on the engineering system, Failure, Mode, and Effect Analysis, which looks at what could potentially go wrong at each stage in an operation together with possible causes and the likely effect.

The first comprehensive treatise on HACCP published in 1973 by the Pillsbury Company, was used to train FDA inspectors in HACCP principles during promulgation of the successful federal sealed containers.
What is HACCP?