HACCP
What is HACCP?
The acronym HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, which is a prevention-based food safety system. HACCP systems are designed to prevent the occurrence of potential food safety problems. This is achieved by assessing the inherent risks attributable to a product or a process and then determining the necessary steps that will control the identified risks.
Over the next few newsletters we will be introducing and expounding on what HACCP means to your establishment, — from creating/having a HACCP plan, up to and including the application of your HACCP plan as it pertains to the flow of food through your operation. Along the way, we will discuss and point out different tasks and the appropriate tools/products to handle those tasks. Additionally we will provide you with helpful HACCP tips.
First, let's introduce some definitions/terminology:
- Acceptable level means the presence of a hazard which does not pose the likelihood of causing an unacceptable health risk.
- Control point means any point in a specific food system at which loss of control does not lead to an unacceptable health risk.
- Critical control point, as defined in the Food Code, means a point at which loss of control may result in an unacceptable health risk.
- Critical limit, as defined in the Food Code, means the maximum or minimum value to which a physical, biological, or chemical parameter must be controlled at a critical control point to minimize the risk that the identified food safety hazard may occur.
- Deviation means failure to meet a required critical limit for a critical control point.
- HACCP plan, as defined in the Food Code, means a written document that delineates the formal procedures for following the HACCP principles developed by The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.
- Hazard, as defined in the Food Code, means a biological, chemical, or physical property that may cause an unacceptable consumer health risk.
- Monitoring means a planned sequence of observations or measurements of critical limits designed to produce an accurate record and intended to ensure that the critical limit maintains product safety. Continuous monitoring means an uninterrupted record of data.
- Preventive measure means an action to exclude, destroy, eliminate, or reduce a hazard and prevent recontamination through effective means.
- Risk means an estimate of the likely occurrence of a hazard.
- Sensitive ingredient means any ingredient historically associated with a known microbiological hazard that causes or contributes to production of a potentially hazardous food as defined in the Food Code.
- Verification means methods, procedures, and tests used to determine if the HACCP system in use is in compliance with the HACCP plan.
HACCP TIP:
For faster and more accurate temperature measuring, use calibrated thermocouple or thermister type thermometers vs. bi-metallic thermometers.