HACCP Flashcards
HACCP stands for?
Hazard Analysis and Critical control point
What is the role of the HACCP?
- The HACCP approach provides a systematic way of identifying food safety hazards and making sure that they are being effectively controlled all the time.
- Systematic, proactive and preventative approach focuses on identifying and preventing hazards from contaminated food by enabling the processor to focus on CCP’s.
List the features that make up the foundation of prerequisite programs
- Facility and equipment design
- Pest control
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Supplier approval
- Employee training
- Personal hygiene
- Foreign material control
- Product specifications
- Product storage control
- Equipment maintenance
- Transportation
- Product traceability
- Allergen and chemical control
What are the 5 objectives of application of the HACCP system?
- Prevention of foodborne illness
- Reduction of losses due to product recall
- More efficient quality assurance system
- Reduction of costs of food analyses
- Protection of reputation
How is HACCP carried out?
- Assemble HACCP team – e.g. food microbiologists, chemists, engineers
- Describe product - HACCP plan is product-specific
- Identify intended use and consumers
- Construct flow diagram which describes the process -> HACCP plan is process specific
- Confirm (verify) on-site flow diagram
- List all potential hazards, conduct a hazard analysis and consider control measures (HACCP principle 1)
List the 7 HACCP principles
- Conduct a hazard analysis to identify any hazards that must be prevented, reduced or eliminated
- Identify the critical control points (CCPs) at the steps at which control is essential
- Establish critical limits for CCPs
- Establish procedures to monitor the CCPs
- Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring indicates that particular CCP is not under control
- Establish procedures to verify whether the above procedures are working effectively
- Establish documentation and records to demonstrate the effective application of the above measures
What is a hazard?
A biological, chemical or physical agent with the potential to cause an adverse health effect when present at an unacceptable level
Name some potential hazards
Bacteria
Viruses
Moulds
Parasites
Toxins
Chemicals (chemical hazards)
Foreign material (physical hazards)
List some common hazards present in raw meat and poultry products
- Excessively soiled animals
- Poor de-hiding/dressing techniques
- Excessive carcass handling
- Inadequate chilling/storage temperatures
- Inadequate procedures for disposal of unfit meat
- Poor use of knife/saw sterilisers
Name some food poisoning bacteria
E.coli
Salmonella
Campylobacter
Clostridia
Listeria
Bacillus cereus
Staphylococcus
List some common hazards seen in people
- Poor staff hygiene/training
- Ineffective hand/arm washing
- Working with vomiting/diarrhoea
- Soiled clothing
- Septic cuts/boils
- Nail biting
- Coughing/sneezing
- Smoking/eating in production area
List some common hazards seen in the premises
- Poor and ineffective cleaning
- Infrequent cleaning
- Poor sanitation
- Inadequate waste disposal
- Poor separation of clean and dirty areas
- Poor storage of packing material
What needs to be considered when conducting a hazard analysis to identify any hazards that must be prevented, reduced or eliminated
- The qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation of the presence of hazard
- Survival or multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms
- Contamination (or recontamination) of an agent on the raw materials, in-process product or finished product.
- Overall risk - the likelihood of hazard occurrence and severity of the consequences (adverse health effects - probability and consequence
Define an (un)acceptable level of a hazard
Agents (contaminants) are acceptable as long as their levels remain below a certain maximum
If an agent is present in a food at a:
- Low, acceptable, level, its increase to an unacceptable level should be prevented
- High, unacceptable, level, its reduction to an acceptable level should be assured
List the 6 principles of hazard control
- Prevention of contamination
- Prevention of increase in level
- Assurance of adequate reduction
- Prevention of recontamination
- Prevention of dissemination (spread)
- Elimination
List some potential methods of hazard control
- Purchase from a reputable supplier. Use reputable haulier
- Visual checks of animals presented for slaughter
- Scheduled cleaning
- Correct temperature control: Fridges/freezers/chilling hall. Knife/saw sterilisers, scald tank/singe (time)
- Use potable (drinking quality) water (water analysis checks)
- Minimise time carcases spend at ambient (room) temperature
- Staff hygiene training/rules (records)
- Staff fitness to work. (medical certificates/screening)
- Correct stock rotation
- Use food safe packaging
- Scheduled maintenance: plant/equipment/buildings
- Pest control
List when hazard analysis should be performed
During product development
During industrialization of new product
When new hazards emerge
When new raw materials are used
When formulation or use is changed
When equipment is changed
With new (layout of) production area
What is a critical control point?
A step at which control can be applied; and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or “reduce it to acceptable levels”
List 5 suggested CCPs in cattle/sheep slaughterhouses
- Acceptance of animals for slaughter
- Hide/fleece removal
- Evisceration
- Chill and storage
- Dispatch and transport
List 4 suggested CCPs in pig slaughterhouses
- Scald
- Evisceration
- Chill and storage
- Dispatch and transport
What is a critical limit?
- Maximum +/- minimum value to which a biological, chemical or physical hazard must be controlled at a CCP
- Used to distinguish between a safe and unsafe operating condition at CCP
- Each control measure can have one or more critical limits
What must a critical limit be based on?
Sound science and supporting documentation maintained as part of the HACCP plan
Describe how CCPs are monitored and the purpose of monitoring
- Regular observations and/or measurements to assess whether the CCP is under control and to produce an accurate record for future use in verification
- Correct monitoring should detect the problem before critical limits are reached
What are corrective actions for CCPs?
- Actions to be taken when the monitoring indicates that the process is moving out of control at CCP
- To bring the process back under control and prevent a food safety hazard
Corrective actions for CCPs should include which 3 features
- Determine and correct the cause of the deviation
- Determine the disposition of the affected product
- Record the corrective actions that have been taken
What is validation for CCPs?
- Check to confirm that the elements of the HACCP plan are effective in controlling the relevant hazards
- It is a subset of verification
- Responsibility of the industry, should be undertaken initially before implementation
What is verification for CCPs?
- Activities, other than monitoring, that determine the validity of the HACCP plan and that the system is operating according to the plan
- Primarily the responsibility of the industry, but also during regulatory assessments
Describe compliance of HACCP
The HACCP plan and prerequisites, and their implementation, meet regulatory requirements
Which documentation is needed to fulfil HACCP principle 7
Details of the HACCP plan
Monitoring records
Corrective actions records
Verification results
What is the responsibility of the industry for HACCP?
- To ensure proper application of HACCP principles and implementation of the HACCP plan
- To provide evidence of this to government authorities when requested
What is the responsibility of the government for HACCP?
Clarify the goals and scope of HACCP, provide expertise when requested
Assess correct application and implementation of the HACCP principles
What are the advantages of HACCP?
Proactive and preventative
Owned by the producers and staff
Specific, systematic, scientific and documented
What are the disadvantages of HACCP?
- Expensive in the start
- Demanding of staff and time
- Difficult for small operators/large number of products
