HACCP

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (and it is pronounced hass-up). A system for preventing food safety hazards was required for application to foods intended for the space program. The only alternative was end product testing and, if certainty was to be assured, a 100 percent sampling rate would be required leaving little or no products for the astronauts to eat. Process control emerged as a solution. Since then, HACCP has been taken up by food companies around the world, to help control the food production process. It is usually part of a wider quality assurance program.Basically, a HACCP program means finding out where the really serious problems occur, monitoring these steps so you know if there are problems, and fixing any problems that arise.

There are seven key steps:

1. Hazard analysis - Work out what the hazards are. ‘Hazards’ are often things that processors cannot control, and an integrated HACCP system means that producers, suppliers and transporters also use QA to eliminate or reduce the risks before processing. 2. Identify the critical control points - These are the steps where the really important things can go wrong, so they are critical to eliminating the hazards. Common critical control points are sanitation and temperature control. 3. Set the ‘critical limits’ for each critical control point - Again, these vary from business to business but examples could be the refrigerator temperature or cooking temperature. If you go over (or under) the critical limit, a problem could be slipping through. 4. Monitor the critical control points - See whether you are meeting the targets and track the results. You can see instantly if things go wrong. 5. Establish corrective actions - These are the things you do when the monitoring shows there’s a problem. 6. Verify that your HACCP system is working correctly - It is all very well having this terrific system but you have to check that it’s actually doing what you want it to do. You might use microbiological testing, for example, to check that the bug counts are what you aimed for. 7. Set up records You need records so people know what to do, check if you results are improving and for auditing. It’s not hard but it’s thorough. It saves you trying to keep it all in your head and it lets the auditors check that you do what you say you do.Given that your customers constantly expect higher standards, you can expect that your HACCP system will keep changing too. It’s a means of preventing problems, rather than you hoping that you will find them before it’s too late. The sequence of events we recognise as HACCP will certainly work to control food safety concerns from microbiological, chemical and physical hazards. However, HACCP’s implementation requires diligence and training. HACCP is a discipline. It creates a culture that revolves around good management with a systems orientation. Previous blog posts in this series are: Food Preparation How to make sure your restaurant is full every night Pricing your Menu Menu Planning Serving more Customers How good is your customer service Finding the Best Location for your Cafe Impressing your Bank or Finance Provider Hospitality Industry Business Plans