HACCP Fundamentals – Lets Know More.!
HACCP certification is commonly known as a food safety standard, however, very little is known on the brighter side of it. We bring a comprehensive tour on the origin, relevance and operational implementation of HACCP certification to understand how it benefits your business.
Food Safety – The core:
Food safety is not just promoting safe food, but it is also about how well are the various food processes devised. Precisely, food safety concerns various aspects such as the procurement, the storage, maintenance and overall processing of managing food products. These are vital to prevent any form of food borne disease. The Food safety and standards act, 2006 was the initial point of origin when the ‘Hazard analysis and critical control point’ (HACCP Certification) was introduced. This was with the primary objective of ensuring that processed and packaged food is preventive of any form of hazard during processing.
HACCP Conventions:
HACCP certification takes a 7-stage approach to assess your processes and then certify you. This implies that the food assessment program is well-monitored and implemented after careful scrutiny of food processes and procedures across various levels. The HACCP fundamentals are as below:
Hazard Analysis:
The initial approach HACCP sets of with conducting a vigorous examination of the processes and procedures adopted by your business while dealing with the food products. These processes includes food production, food in transit, food stored at warehouses, storage conditions and packaging. Such analysis helps in identifying the areas which need preventive measures. Any areas of the process which can lead food to be unfit for human consumption are identified and directed for prevention.
Critical Control Points:
HACCP certification identifies the critical points in food handling. Such points are deemed to be the ones where control can be exercised. By applying control to the critical points, food safety hazard assumed to have occurred at that point can be prevented.
Limiting the critical control points:
HACCP certification is not but limited to identifying and controlling the identified critical points; but in a long run HACCP certification aims at limit the recurrence of such hazards in the whole process. This means, if once a critical point is controlled, it is less likely to reoccur in future. Moreover, in an attempt to reduce the critical hazards at anticipated levels, HACCP certification develops a low to high scale of value. The critical limit of occurrence of such hazards should fall within the levels of this value scale. Precisely, through HACCP certification, the food safety standards provide the business with controls in their hands.
Critical Control Points Monitor
Following up on the controls established is key to ensure that all processes and efforts are under control. HACCP certification ensures that all the monitoring procedures and their frequencies are listed in HACCP mapping. Prompt monitor also help in early identification of control measures that are becoming obsolete. This help in replacing them as and when required without any delays thus serving purpose for the next principle.
Right Actions
Early deduction on outdated control mechanisms is important for any standard to function efficiently. HACCP certification establish corrective measures as and when the existing control mechanisms cease to perform effectively. Besides, HACCP plan focuses on meeting with critical limits as well, hence a proactive approach to ensure safety is more important than being reactive, which HACCP certification enables your firm to achieve with ease.
HACCP certification procedures
HACCP ensures ‘validity’. Yes, they ensure that plans work up to the expectations of the designs with which they were originally developed. HACCP plans are subject to periodical reviews for confirmation of safety at food processing. Verification are conducted periodically at CCP, critical limits, control mechanisms and at the levels with which hazards are assessed. HACCP certification also ensures that all evaluation and findings are evidence-based, hence the assessments are validated with scientific evidence.
Record Keeping
Documentation is key to validate all the procedures, findings and evidences. It is important for firms to maintain various reports. Some of these reports include Hazard analysis, HACCP plan, critical limits report, validation and verification undertaken. This is not only to maintain records but to ensure that firms are prepared to meet the legal compliance at all stages at all the times.
Many businesses in the food industry are sighing relief after getting HACCP certified. It is not limited to saving hazards, costs and legal compliance but HACCP certification promotes better organizing and coordination of your resources. Many of our clients have agreed that HACCP certification saves business, profitability on one end and promote employee and end customer satisfaction on the other. If you are looking for an experienced certification body to guide you with HACCP accreditation then you can opt contacting us now!!!