HACCP

HACCP is stand for Hazard analysis and critical control point. 

The coverage area of this system are food raw material storage, food production processes, food storage, and food distribution monitoring system for identification and control related to health and safety hazards. The purpose of this system is to eliminate and prevent any contaminations that may happen to the food industry, instead of end-production evaluation

The contribution of HACCP in food business is very critical, since this is the only way to notice the potential hazard that may happen in the future since the food product need to be ensure of its safety. It is critical because the product are prepared for safely consumable level.  This standard for the first time are proposed by the Codex Alimentarius Commissionfor the food industry in general, and meat, poultry, and seafood industry in particular, it has been adopted by some 150 countries nowdays. And I believe the number will increase significantly in the future.

Among implementation for years, HACCP proved to be a vital tool for ensuring the quality and standards used by international healthy standard for human consumption. This system should be applied by company which want to deliver and provide their product in perfect standard

Simply said that for those who want to make sure that the all steps and area, especially the most important areas of your business are getting the proper handling and monitoring then you just need to focus on the HACCP.

All of food industry, especially the beef industry, facing the fact of fears from the consumers since they found so many reports of mad cow disease, so its important, no doubt to implement HACCP standards is mandatory to ensure consumer safety and confidence in consuming the country's beef products.

So, how does HACCP work in food production?

I noticed  that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods, which serve as the foundation for a HACCP system have develop 7 principles. They are:

1. Conduct a hazard analysis or hazard identification to identify potential hazards that could occur in the food production process.
2. Identify the critical control points (CCPs) -- those points in the process where the potential hazards could occur and can be prevented and/or controlled.
3. Figure out critical limits for preventive measures associated with each CCP. A critical limit is a criterion that must be met for each CCP.
4.  Provide CCP monitoring requirements to ensure each CCP stays within its limit.
5. Provide a corrective action if monitoring determines a CCP is not within the established limits. In case a problem occurs, corrective actions must be available to make sure no public health hazard occurs.
6. Set up effective recordkeeping system that document the HACCP system is working properly. Records should document CCP monitoring, verification activities and deviation records.
7. Set up procedures for verifying that the HACCP system is working properly. Verification procedures may include reviewing the HACCP plan, CCP records, and critical limits as well as conducting microbial sampling. Both plant personnel and Food Safety inspectors will conduct verification activities so the information that have been taken is valid

Hazard Identification for haccp

Food safety programs nowadays is tend to design to work preventive action more than handling problem caused by wrong implementation of food safety aspects. I do believe most of us already aware about this facts. Before we continue talking about hazard prevention program related to food safety issues, we need to know first about what is the hazard identification its self for sure.  People often has lack of knowing or observing what kind of things that can possible to happen to cause everything goes wrong. By knowing all of that, that is hazard identification step

The 3 easy steps to identify hazards in your food industry

I have notice several simple and easy steps for you to do, so you will have the description on where the program should be started. So the hazard identification can be started immediately at your working area of food business. You can add more if you want, for sure :

1. Brainstorm with your team

Find information as much as you can of knowing and experience from your haccp team and production staff since they are the people who dealing with food and process chain directly. The hazard can be stated based on the past experience that effect to the food business. More information you got, the more better for the hazard identification program you may applied.

2. Review food recall media release or food incident Record

If there has been a food recall take note of the type of product and the issue reported or any food incident report, then you can just use this information to review whether the same hazard is possible to happen or not to your food business. Please take a note that just because your food business hasn’t had a food recall or incident to a particular issue, it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen in the future to your food business. Lesson learned can be also taken form other’s experience

3. Review and evaluate your customer complaint

Most of serious industry have taking seriously to their customer satisfaction and feedback. Customer feedback, including complaints is a valuable tool when identifying hazards in your food business. These complaints will easily identify things that have gone wrong in your food business as identified by your customers. Every customer compliant should be reviewed seriously to identify the hazard, means the type of hazard and source of the hazard.