HACCP Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points

HACCP is a risk management tool specifically designed for the food sector by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly established by theFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The risk management activities include:
– Risk evaluation
– Risk management option assessment
– Implementation of management decisions
– Monitoring and review

In the context of the food sector, HACCP can be:
– Corrective: When objectives for food safety have been established by Codex or national risk managers, these can be adopted by the industry. By applyingHACCP, the industry can assure that these objectives are met.

– Preventive: A hazard analysis identifies potential hazards that need to be controlled to prevent potential harm to the consumer.

The potential benefits of HACCP are numerous, but the most significant are tangible and demonstrable improvements in food safety performance and a greater level of assurance in the area of legal compliance. The ultimate objective of the system is to assure food safety by means of food safety hazards identification and management instead of low-efficiency, retroactive quality control.

HACCP System Certification enables your organization to:
– Communicate confidence to the customers, demonstrating that the food is produced by means of safe processes.
– Prove that it has taken all reasonable precautions to guarantee the production of safe food.
– Allow customers to demand that suppliers are assessed and certified, if they operate in a country with a strong food safety legislative framework.
– Reduce the number of audits carried out by customers and, consequently, save management time spent and related costs.
– Reduce product waste and product recall.
– Improve relations with food safety authorities.
– Improve efficiency.

Certification to the HACCP standard provides an effective means of communicating with stakeholders and other interested parties. It is an important element in demonstrating food safety commitments under corporate governance, corporate responsibility, and financial reporting requirements.