Food safety standards happen to be of utmost importance for businesses functioning in the food sector. Hence, complying with the regulations set by the US Food and Drug Administration is considered essential for the food industry regardless of the type of food they prepare, package, and distribute to the general populace. Understanding and implementing the concept of HACCP for minimizing the risks associated with the manufacturing and processing of food items can help the food companies keep their reputation intact when it comes to following the safety requirements to a T.
What is HACCP, however? While it is a question that arises in the mind of the end-user more often than not, it helps to know that it is an acronym standing for “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points” of food safety management.
Hazard Analysis can be explained as identification and analysis of the risks about food safety. The possibility of risks during various processes is gauged including discovering the potential of microbiological, physical as well as chemical contamination of food.
The critical points are concerned with the different points during the handling of food. The ways and means of placing controls at different stages of food handling can go a long way in reducing the risks or eliminate them.
It is a systematic approach to ensure food safety by eliminating all kinds of associated risks that may occur anywhere in the process of sourcing the raw material and supplying it to the end-user. This FDA-approved process is based on 7 distinct HACCP Principles that need to be followed as closely as possible to ensure the total safety of food. The following principles need to be maintained following the necessity: –
- Conducting a hazard analysis
- Determining all critical points
- Establishing the critical limits
- Establishing all procedures for monitoring
- Determining the required corrective actions
- Establishing the procedures of verification
- Set up record-keeping procedures along with documentation
Simply following the principles and ensuring the no-risk approach is not enough. You must take pains to obtain a HACCP Certification as well. You will be able to prove the efficacy of your company by proving that you are determined to adhere to the international standards of food safety and will strive to enhance the quality continuously. The certificate endorses your commitment to the cause and provides testimony about the quality of the products/ process that you offer.
The HACCP Certification process is a varied one and requires several stages to be completed before you can qualify for the certificate. The actual procedure requires you to:-
- Submit an application to the concerned authority, highlighting the details of your company that deals with food.
- The authorities will review the application thoroughly to ensure that it is compliant with the regulations
- A gap analysis is also provided by the certifying body to discover the lapses between the HACCP Plan and the achieved objectives
- All the existing documents of the company will be assessed to check the extent of compliance
- The Stage 1 Audit will be conducted to find out whether the right procedure and policies have been implemented as required
- A Stage 2 audit will be conducted after verification of the previous audit documents to check for the non-conformities and advice about the correction of the lapses found
- After both the Audit results are found to be satisfactory, the certification authorities will issue the certificate which will be in force for the succeeding three years.
HACCP is recognized as the basis of food safety management programs at present. The systematic approach helps the food industry to discover the lapses and take suitable measures to control and eliminate all risks thereby ensuring health for the end-users.
