the following information is prepared by the Department of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Central Office of Information.

HACCP and CCPs

HACCP stands for 'Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points'. It is a structured approach to monitoring Critical Control Points (CCPs):

• Analysing the potential hazards in an operation.
• Identifying the points in the operation where the hazards may occur.
• Deciding which are critical to consumer safety.

Remedial action, specified in advance, is taken if conditions at any CCP are not within safe limits.

Hazard Analysis

A hazard analysis system involves looking at the operation of the food business step by step, from the receipt of ingredients/goods through to the sale/service of the final product.

At each step (ie delivery, cooking, re-heating) it is necessary to identify any hazards that exist. A hazard is anything that could harm the consumer. Three main hazards exist, namely contamination of food by:

• Bacterial or other microbes which may cause food poisoning.
• Chemicals such as cleaning materials, pesticides.
• Physical contaminants such as glass, metal, hair, jewellery, stones.

Once the hazard has been identified, methods of control should be implemented. This may be, for example, chilling food. The hazard controlled being the multiplication of bacteria or other microbes. The aim of the control is to reduce the risk or eliminate the hazard.

Having determined the controls, it is necessary to consider how to monitor these controls to ensure they are effective. If, for example, the control is to chill food, a method of monitoring is to check on a regular basis ie daily/twice daily (depending on the nature of the business) the temperature of the chiller.

The hazard analysis system should include taking remedial action where problems arise, and the system should be reviewed regularly to take account of changes and implement improvements.

Proprietors are required to demonstrate that they understand the principles of food safety and the control of hazards. Therefore, whilst there is no legal requirement, you are recommended to document a hazard analysis system in a written format.

In addition, where possible, records should be kept of the monitoring procedures in place. These may include:

• Temperature logging of refrigerators and freezer.
• Temperature probe logging.
• Equipment servicing.
• Auditing suppliers.
• Pest control records.
• Cleaning schedules.
• Stock rotation policy.
• Staff training.
• Fabric audit.

Should a proprietor face legal proceedings, a sound knowledge backed with written procedures may help provide the necessary due diligence defence ie that they have been diligent in trying to prevent food safety problems.

Food Safety - Your Responsibility

Food businesses have the main responsibility for ensuring the protection of their customers. A business that breaks the law faces legal sanctions including improvement notices, prohibition notices and prosecution. So if you run a food business, you need to take care that you meet your obligations. Leaving food safety to chance is risky: risky to your customers' health and lives, and risky to the health and life of your business.

HACCP

HACCP is a practical technique which food businesses can use to help satisfy themselves that their products are safe. Some businesses, particularly in the food manufacturing sector, have recognised the value of using HACCP to identify potential hazards in their operations and control them before they result in problems. Many more businesses have yet to discover HACCP, or to put it into practice.

Advantages

HACCP is:

• Systematic - all the potential hazards are identified. Problems are foreseen and forestalled.
• Efficient - it concentrates the control effort at the critical steps in the operation.
• Economical - it uses checks which can be done cheaply, quickly and easily, such as measuring time and temperature, and visual assessment.
• Prompt - fast checks allow rapid response when action is needed.
• On the spot - the process is controlled on the spot by he operator, not by a laboratory remote from the operation.

How To Set Up HACCP for Your Business

Form an HACCP team. The team may be large or small, depending on the operation. It should be composed of people who know and understand the businesses food products and their uses. The owner or employees of a business may have the necessary expertise themselves if they have had training in food hygiene, or they may have to seek advice from outside experts such as microbiologists, especially if specialised processes such as vaccum packing or cook chill are involved. Remember, a HACCP scheme is only as good as the experts who draw it up.

Define the process. The team draws up a flow chart of all aspects of the food operation from raw materials through processing to storage and consumer handling.

Identify the hazards and work out the CCPs. A hazard is anything that can harm the consumer. It can be physical, chemical or microbiological. The team identifies the potential hazards associated with the food at all stages from raw materials, processing, manufacture and distribution until the point of consumption, assesses the likelihood of occurrence of these hazards and identifies the preventive measures necessary for their control. The team then identifies the steps that can be controlled to eliminate each hazard or minimise the likelihood of it occurring. These are the CCPs.

Recommend monitoring and control procedures. For each CCP, the team recommends what is to be done, when it is to be done and who is to do it. It also lays down the limits outside which further action is needed, for example referral to management or consultation with other experts.

Implement Control at the CCPs. It is essential to make sure that the recommended monitoring and controls are actually carried out. This will include maintaining records of the HACCP process as well as the controls monitored at the CCP for each batch of food.

Review

The design and operation of the HACCP scheme should be reviewed whenever the food operation is altered, however slight the alteration may seem. The scheme should be reviewed periodically (for example, once a year) even when there have been no alterations.

Can anyone use the HACCP system?
The application of a full HACCP system requires the advice and guidance of experts but the principles of HACCP can be applied in any food business.

It is important to remember that the details will vary as no two businesses are exactly alike but similar principles will apply to any food business.