What does the HACCP system address?

The HACCP system is a food safety system. Its task is generally to identify all potential hazards in ingredients and various production processes. All this to ensure that a safe product reaches the consumer. What exactly does the HACCP system cover? Learn more.

Food control, or what is the HACCP system?

The HACCP system (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points System) was created to establish global principles related to the ever-increasing requirements for food consumption. It all started with NASA, which in 1959 wanted to adopt rules to guarantee the safety of food products for astronauts in space. The American company Pillsbury was then responsible for introducing such a control system.

It was not until several years later, in 1993, that the Codex Alimentarius commission confirmed the introduction of the HACCP system guidelines. In 2005, the ISO 22000 standard was published, which established the Food Safety Management System based on ISO 9001 and the HACCP system used to this day in the food industry.

And what exactly is the HACCP system? These are global food safety principles that assess the scale of hazards at various stages of the production and distribution process of food products. They identify, analyze, and control physical, chemical, and biological hazards related to raw materials and their processing and marketing.

Importance, or what does HACCP cover?

HACCP is a system that not only ensures food safety and detects potential hazards in production processes. Its implementation helps and enables companies to implement effective control measures to avoid the risk of food contamination. It allows for the identification of critical control points (CCP) and the establishment of appropriate corrective actions in any hazardous situation.

HACCP system principles, or what should be remembered?

There are 7 principles recommended by HACCP. In short, they concern the following activities.

1. Identification of hazards (biological, chemical, physical) that must be avoided, eliminated, or reduced to an acceptable level.
2. Determination of critical control points (CCP) – their identification in the phase or phases where control is essential to avoid or eliminate the hazard, or reduce it to an acceptable level.
3. Establishing critical limits at control points – which separate acceptability from unacceptability in order to prevent, eliminate, or reduce identified hazards.
4. Establishing and applying effective monitoring processes for critical control points.
5. Determining corrective actions when analysis shows that a given CCP has gone out of control.
6. Establishing system verification procedures – these should be carried out regularly to verify the effectiveness of the actions referred to in points 1 to 5.
7. Preparation of documents and records appropriate to the nature and size of companies, in order to demonstrate the effective application of the measures referred to in points 1-6¹.

The HACCP system is subject to continuous analysis and verification processes. The entire implementation process is duly documented and updated in the relevant records of control results.

Advantages of the HACCP system, or what are the benefits for producers?

In addition to more efficient resource optimization and ensuring food safety, the implementation of the HACCP system provides the company with many benefits.

• Better food hygiene increases customer confidence and encourages purchasing decisions.
• Hazard identification allows for the elimination of factors that could pose a danger to consumer health.
• Ensuring food safety increases competitiveness between enterprises in the food sector.
• Introduces improvements and technological innovations in the agri-food sector.
• Guarantees that the food industry meets all current requirements.

Company operation in accordance with the HACCP system also includes other organizations that are indirectly involved in the food chain. These are suppliers of equipment, cleaning agents, packaging and packaging materials, as well as manufacturers of any other products that come into contact with food.

Looking for more information about production processes? Visit our blog and read, among other things, about the certification of medical devices.