Building a HACCP System

Both Prerequisite Programs and HACCP Plans must be implemented in order to construct a HACCP System.

Prerequisite programmes are programmes that are implemented in a facility to control environmental dangers and prevent product contamination. Prerequisite programmes promote a sanitary workplace and safe manufacturing processes for employees, lowering the risk of food contamination.

Each process or product has its own HACCP plan, which identifies potential hazards and the controls in place to guarantee that they are removed or regulated to ensure appropriate levels in the food product.

Why use HACCP?

Food-borne illness is becoming more widely recognised, and the use of HACCP and HACCP-based certification procedures is becoming more common.

HACCP is based on 7 principles:

1. Conduct a Hazard Analysis
   This is where you assess your processes and look for areas where dangers could be created. Physical (metal contamination), chemical (can a cleaning product contaminate the product, are there toxins that could contaminate the product?) and biological (at what points could bacteria or virus contaminate your product?) hazards are all possibilities. You must ensure that you have the necessary expertise to make an accurate assessment of the risks. This means that if your organisation lacks the necessary skills, you'll need to look for external resources to help you with the hazard analysis.
   The identification of dangers is done in two steps: first, the hazards are identified, and then the hazard is evaluated. The hazard evaluation determines the level of risk that the detected hazard poses to the user. The team must identify essential control points once the hazard has been discovered and assessed. These are the points when the hazard must be controlled or the end user will be at risk.
2. Identify the Critical Control Points
   What phases in your process can controls be implemented to mitigate or eliminate the identified hazards? These are the crucial control points in your system. You'll determine the preventive measure for each crucial control point. What steps will you take to avoid the danger? Use of specialised terminology Temperature, pH, time, and methods, to name a few? Set a maximum or minimum temperature, duration, pH, salt level, chlorine level, or any processing parameter that will help to control the hazard. For the CCP, this is the critical limit. If this limit is ever exceeded, corrective action must be performed, and all products that are affected must be managed.
3. Establish Critical Limits
   Establish criteria for each crucial control point as the following stage. What conditions must be followed in order to keep the hazard under control at that point? Is there a minimum temperature requirement? Are there any regulatory requirements for this control point?
4. Establish Monitoring Procedures
   What are you going to measure, and how are you going to measure it? At the crucial control point, you must monitor the process and retain records to demonstrate that the critical limitations have been reached. Is it possible for you to keep an eye on the control point indefinitely? If not, how frequently will measurements be required to demonstrate that the process is under control?
   The efficiency of the HACCP programme is dependent on the monitoring that takes place at the important control points. The monitoring programme will consist of physical measurements or observations that can be completed quickly in order to offer information in a timely manner that allows you to take action and control the product in the event of an out of control situation.
5. Establish Corrective Actions
   You'll figure out what has to be done if a critical limit isn't met. For each CCP, this will be determined ahead of time. No dangerous goods should be released as a result of the action. There must also be a review of the process in order to find the source of the problem and eliminate it.
   The action or steps conducted are intended to control any nonconforming product that arises as a result of the loss of control, as well as to identify the cause, eliminate it, and prevent the issue from recurring. You'll be ready to respond promptly if and when an out-of-control crisis arises if you identify the corrective action before it happens.
6. Establish Record Keeping Procedures
   You'll figure out what documents you'll need to prove that the system's crucial limits have been met and it's under control. Address regulatory standards and incorporate documentation from the system's development and operation.
7. Establish Verification Procedures
   Validation of the HACCP plan is required. Once the plan is in place, double-check that it is effective in preventing the identified hazards. Check the finished product and make sure the controls are working properly. Verify the system on a regular basis. Is the equipment for measuring and monitoring within your control? What evidence do corrective efforts provide? Are records being kept as they should be?

Beyond the hazard analysis key control point, the Food Safety Management Systems contains management system principles similar to those found in ISO 9001. You'll be creating a system for managing quality and continuous improvement across your company. It will go beyond the above-mentioned control mechanisms to include how you plan and manage quality in your organisation.

• Global market place
• Increasing incidents of food-borne pathogens
• New pathogens emerging
• Need to protect Brands, control risks