Basic Information for HACCP topics

Modified on Tue, 10 May 2022 at 12:25 PM

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) is a preventive concept to ensure the safety of consumers when consuming food.

Documentation

The HACCP regulation includes a documentation requirement for all companies and branches from industry, craft and trade that prepare, process, manufacture, pack, store, transport, distribute, treat or sell food. All control points that are critical for consumer health are therefore a part of the HACCP concept and included in the documentation. In addition to possible contamination by animal and vegetable pests or vermin, for example intolerable chemical residues or physical occurrences (including non-compliance with temperatures or times). The established critical control points must then be checked completely. If specified conditions such as limit values are exceeded or not reached, the corrective measures which were worked out in the HACCP concept must be initiated.

HACCP Concepts - Advantages of Compliance

The benefits of a properly implemented and documented HACCP system are obvious:

Avoiding food disease or food poisoning
Extension of the shelf life of the food - thereby lower costs
Increased competitiveness
Acquisition of new customers through gained customer trust

HACCP concepts - consequences of non-compliance

Failure to comply with the guidelines, in particular the documentation requirement, can have unpleasant consequences:

Fine for significant hygiene deficiencies
Training courses to observe at short notice
Short-term elimination of structural defects
Criminal proceedings that result in high fines or the closure of a company
Imprisonment for placing unhealthy foods on the market

Scope of HACCP

Ensuring a high level of food safety (consumer protection)
Compliance with industry standards IFS, ISO 22000
Identification of critical points for the operational and understand risks

→ This applies to transport, storage and shipping.

Types of danger

Nr.	Types of danger	Description	Example
1	Chemical	Undesirable chemical components that make the product unsafe for consumption. These components can already be present in the raw material or can get into the product during production and contaminate it.	Heavy metals in cocoa, mycotoxins, cleaning agents Control: definition of a special cleaning, determination of the pesticide content in raw materials, ...
2	Biological	Excessive concentrations of desired ingredients can also pose a hazard and possibly make the product unsuitable for consumption.	Pathogenic organisms: Salmonella, Enterobacteriaceae and fungal attack Parasites, pests Control: freeze, heat ...
3	Physical	Foreign particles that may be present in the raw materials or that can get into the product. This makes the product unsafe for consumption.	Glass, plastic, metal parts, stones, bones, residues from packaging materials Control: sieves, metal detectors, ...
4	Allergens	Substance that can cause allergies in sensitive people according to (EU) No. 1169/2011 Annex II	Cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, lupins, molluscs Control: definition of a special cleaning, determination of the pesticide content in raw materials, ...

→ Types of danger must be specified with the customer, warehouse and byrd (HACCP Team), to develop needed measurements. Types of danger can be different comparing production with logistic.