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HACCP: Definition
What is HACCP? HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Point and means hazard analysis of critical control points. It is an internationally recognised and used system or concept to reduce food safety risks. The prerequisite for this is that potential hazards at points in the manufacturing process are identified and controlled - these hazards can be biological, physi-cal and chemical in nature.
The EU Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004, which came into force on 1 January 2006, states that every company involved in the production, processing or handling of food must implement a HACCP concept and prove this implementation through appropriate documentation. This can be wholesalers, supermarkets, restaurants, snack bars, pubs, hotels, ice cream parlours, re-tailers, catering companies, butchers or bakeries.
Which areas does the HACCP concept cover?
There are several critical areas that a HACCP concept must take into account in order to en-sure safe beverages and food. Hazards can occur at any of these control points.
Food shopping
Especially with germ-prone foods and ingredients, it is important to pay attention to where they come from and to take a closer look at the suppliers and their food production. Packaged and frozen food should be properly labelled, stored and temperature controlled.
Food delivery
During the delivery of food, the appropriate temperature also plays an important role. The cold chain must not be interrupted so that microorganisms are not able to settle. According-ly, the delivery must take place as quickly as possible so that the temperature remains at a certain level.
Storage
Food must be stored appropriately and in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. This will ensure that cross-contamination does not occur and bacteria cannot spread and grow to a dangerous level during storage. Containers must be kept clean, covered and dated. They should not be overloaded. When stored on shelves, food must be in suitable storage areas and kept a certain distance from the wall and floor. Vigilant and thorough pest control also plays an important role in proper storage and food safety. Storage should be divided into hot, cold and dry storage for the respective foods.
Production and preparation
The quality of process and drinking water is a knock-out criterion not only, but especially in beverage production. In addition to appropriate water treatment, separate areas for prepara-tion also ensure that there is no cross-contamination and that foodstuffs containing allergens do not come into contact with each other. Specific HACCP principles and procedures should also be followed when defrosting, reheating, cooking or cooling beverages, for example using evaporators and coils. These detail temperatures, controls and equipment requirements.
Service and food display
Display areas should be suitable and clean to ensure the protection of food. As with storage, hot, cold and frozen goods have their own specific requirements that must be met. Clean utensils and equipment should be available for both service and self-service. Staff must be adequately trained and adequate signage with rules of conduct and hygiene must be in place for self-service. The pandemic has once again highlighted the importance of such measures. However, thanks to the adherence to a well thought-out hygiene and safety concept, events such as the 17th European Beer Star tasting in Gräfelfing in 2020 were still able to take place successfully.
Cleaning
Food preparation areas must be kept clean. This requires appropriate cleaning agents and equipment, which must be kept away from the food. The method of waste disposal and pest control are also essential components of the HACCP cleaning plan to ensure thorough hygiene of the premises and food preparation areas.
Personal hygiene
Staff must be trained to handle food hygienically and safely. This includes washing hands thoroughly with hot water and soap and covering any cuts. Staff should wear gloves and change them regularly. However, they are not a substitute for hand washing. Illnesses of any kind must be reported immediately. Clothing and aprons must also be clean and appropriate for the purpose. Hair must be kept away from food with a hair net. Appropriate training must meet high standards and be conducted by professional trainers.Risk prevention from A to Z: HACCP guidelines prevent here
In food production, a hazard is defined as an aspect that has a high probability of causing injury or illness to a consumer. To ensure the safety of a product, health hazards must be identified and eliminated. In this way, the safety of the product is increased and a repeatable standard is established. Hazard sources include:
- Allergens: Allergens are proteins that cause an ab-normal immune response in sensi-tive populations. The severity of allergic reactions can vary, ranging from mild itching to skin rashes and migraines to anaphylactic shock, which can lead to death if not treated. Allergens include, for example, various types of nuts, sesame seeds, milk, eggs, seafood, soy, wheat and sulphites. Unfortunately, allergens cannot be complete-ly eliminated from food production. Therefore, people with allergies are dependent on precise information with the help of labels (e.g. ingredient lists). However, cross-contamination during storage, packaging and processing can also inadvertently intro-duce allergens into products that are not listed on the label. Strict adherence to strict HACCP guidelines is therefore necessary to reduce this risk.
- Biological risks: Bacteria, viruses and parasites can contaminate food and cause seri-ous infections and illnesses after consumption. This danger can be reduced by effec-tive temperature management through adequate cooling or heating during prepara-tion. Microbes are particularly attracted to moist and warm foods. When packaging, manufacturers should reduce the amount of air to which the product is exposed.
- Chemical risks: Chemicals such as detergents, pollutants, dioxins, heavy metals, fun-gicides and pesticides are also harmful to humans. Only chemicals that are generally considered safe and not harmful to health should be used in production. Those chemi-cals that may pose a risk to humans should be kept away from food.
- Physical risks: Sharp particles of glass, wood, bone, metal and any other foreign ob-ject can get into the food and put consumers' health at risk. Jewellery or fake finger-nails in the food can be avoided by following appropriate staff practices. Acrylic light bulbs and lamp covers in the warehouse prevent glass from getting into the food. Metal detectors and magnets detect metal fragments, while other foreign objects can be removed through sieves and filters. A preventive and effective maintenance strate-gy is needed to avoid foreign objects from worn equipment. X-ray equipment helps to identify stones and bones or hard plastics. Food radar systems are also used to find metals, plastics, bones or cores.
- A danger that should not be underestimated comes from people themselves. If rea-sonable, safe and sustainable working conditions are not provided, overwork and care-lessness can quickly occur, which in turn leads to dangers for consumers. Cheap workers who are not qualified for the job or are poorly trained can also pose a danger.
HACCP in practice: How to create an HACCP concept
Seven HACCP principles form the foundation for ensuring adequate safety standards. These principles leave room for interpretation and application by each company. Companies also draw up a food safety plan based on investigations and operating conditions. An HACCP plan includes guidelines on controls and monitoring in addition to the measures to ensure that hazards are prevented. The following step-by-step guide should be followed by food busi-nesses to create an adequate HACCP plan.
1.Risk analysis
First, companies should list all the process steps in food production, processing and prepara-tion, as well as the possible points where hazards could occur. These hazards should later be avoided, eliminated or regulated by the HACCP guidelines. For each hazard, a justification for inclusion on or exclusion from the list should be given2. Identification of the critical control points
The Critical Control Point is a step or procedure at which a control should be carried out to eliminate a food safety hazard. If a hazard is present, the company or the person responsible should eliminate the hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level. The total number of control points required depends on the scope of the entire processing operation and the characteris-tics of the product being processed.
3. Set limit values
Critical limits are minimum or maximum values defined for each control point. These chemi-cal, physical or biological parameters must be adhered to in order to guarantee the food safe-ty of a product. These are usually time or temperature factors, pH values, weight or other measurements that are based on relevant scientific literature or legal regulations and are relevant to food safety. Automated solutions with integrated production and quality man-agement can replace and standardise manual processes. Read in this whitepaper how bever-age manufacturers have benefited from the use of drink IT.
4. Monitoring procedures
Next, uniform ways and methods of measurement must be established to monitor the control points or critical limits. At this point, companies specify what the measurement procedure looks like, at what time it takes place, who is responsible for the measurement and how regularly it is carried out. At myBeviale, numerous companies such as VEGA Grieshaber KG or Hamilton Bonaduz AG will be showcasing their expertise in these areas.
5. Corrective measures
This involves measures that are applied in the event of a deviation from the critical limit val-ue. The company and the responsible department decide on steps to prevent a product that is hazardous to health from being sold or otherwise entering the food chain. This includes procedures to help correct the process so that such or similar deviations and hazards can be prevented in the future.
6. Efficiency monitoring
This step does not serve to directly monitor food quality. Rather, it is a way for a company to check whether the plan is actually fulfilling its purpose and whether the HACCP system is working effectively and efficiently. For this purpose, responsible employees can critically ana-lyse the control points, the records, the inspection before the goods are shipped, the measur-ing instruments and their calibration, as well as the way in which the products are tested, and optimise these steps if necessary.
7. Documentation
The recording of the control process is an essential part of the HACCP concept of every com-pany. Among other things, essential information about the inspectors, the products inspect-ed, the hazard analysis, the control points identified, the critical limits, the efficiency moni-toring, the corrective actions and the recording process itself are recorded here. This docu-mentation also serves as proof for the competent authorities that the food has been produced safely.
HACCP training for employees - a sensible measure
In order for companies and their employees to safely follow the HACCP plan and protect themselves and their customers, proper training and awareness raising on these issues is extremely important.
The form of training depends on the industry, the size of the business and the location. There are now even many online training courses. Training is not only beneficial, but essential to ensure that all employees are well versed in the practices and measures that contribute to food safety. It is also important to remember that food production processes change and evolve over time, requiring new safety rules. Even if companies believe that their processes will not change in the future, it cannot hurt to refresh the information.
An HACCP certificate also ensures that customers have more confidence in the company and can assume that the business is run safely. When employees are well trained and disciplined, food manufacturers reduce the chances of foodborne illness outbreaks, which in turn pre-vents the costly and reputationally damaging consequences that such an outbreak can bring.
Do companies have to pass an HACCP test?
The review of the HACCP concept is subject to self-monitoring. It is possible to commission an in-house HACCP team to carry out and check it. An external body such as the TÜV can also take over the inspection and ensure safe compliance with the HACCP guidelines.
Food monitoring is the responsibility of the individual federal states and in total there are over 400 inspection authorities responsible for inspections. The unannounced inspections do not directly check compliance with the HACCP guidelines, the concepts of which are compiled by the respective businesses themselves. Instead, inspectors check for correct labelling and the permissibility of ingredients. They have samples tested in the laboratory for germs and harmful substances. The HACCP principles and the corresponding documentation prove that the respective food business operator regularly carries out its own inspections, staff training and, if necessary, corrective measures in the production process.
Breach of the HACCP guidelines: These are the consequences
In addition to the reputational damage and the business-damaging consequences, compa-nies that show significant hygiene deficiencies also have to reckon with legal consequences. If these deficiencies are not remedied within 24 hours, the companies concerned must expect a fine of 400 to 600 euros. If staff training on food safety and workplace behaviour has not been provided, the business must have it provided within two weeks. If there are structural problems that also affect food safety, the company must take steps to rectify them within four weeks. If the company continues to fail to comply with these requirements and de-mands, it will face criminal proceedings, higher fines and possibly even closure. Manufactur-ers who put food that is harmful to health into circulation can be sentenced to up to three years' imprisonment.
The bottom line is that companies should make HACCP compliance a high priority as it pro-tects their reputation - and more importantly - consumer safety.
