Chapter 7 Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP)

CHAPTER 7: Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) Introduction: HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. Originally developed in the 1960’s by NASA and a group of food safety specialists.  According to US Food and Drug Administration, “HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product”.  HACCP is designed for use in all segments of the food industry from growing, harvesting, processing, manufacturing, distributing, and merchandising to preparing food for consumption.  It is the means of securing food safety from harvesting to consumption.  Tool to identify the hazards and applying the major for the food safety.   HACCP can be applied in every step of food processing. In order to reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses from hazards, the HACCP system of    food safety is required Used by food processors and food service operations. The system is based on prevention, rather than inspection. HACCP traces the flow of food from entry into an operation through to customer  purchase. It does more than correct errors after they have occurred; it is a program that prevents errors regarding food safety. HACCP-related Definitions Hazard: A biological, chemical, or physical property that may cause a food to be unsafe for consumption. Critical control point (CCP): A point, step, or procedure at which control can be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels. Critical limit: A criterion that must be met for each preventive measure associated with a critical control point. Corrective action: Procedures to be followed when a deviation occurs Risk: An estimate of the likely occurrence of a hazard. Deviation: Failure to meet a critical limit HACCP plan: The written document which is based on the principles of HACCP and which outlines the procedures to be followed to assure the control of a specific process or procedure. Monitor: To conduct a planned sequence of observations or measurements to assess whether a CCP is under control and to produce an accurate record for future use in verification Verification: The use of methods, procedures or tests in addition to those used in monitoring to determine if the HACCP system is in compliance with the HACCP plan & /or whether the HACCP plan is working. Principles of HACCP: Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis. Principle 2: Determine the critical control points (CCPs). Principle 3: Establish critical limits. Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures. Principle 5: Establish corrective actions. Principle 6: Establish verification procedures. Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures. 1. Conduct a hazard analysis:  Hazard analysis is the very first step.  All the potential hazards are identified in this step  The hazard is defined as the any physical, chemical and biological agent that possess the possible risk or threat to the health.  The basic physical hazards are metal contamination, presence of inedible items. Chemical hazards include the presence of toxins or any unwanted chemicals and biological hazard denote the presence of pathogens.  Any method that can control these hazards needs to be adopted. 2. Determine the critical control points (CCPs):  CCP stands for critical control point.  At this step the control measures can be applied.  Determination of CCP refers to identifying the point at which the control measures can be applied to eliminate the hazard that has been previously identified.   CCP is essential to prevent or eliminate hazard or to reduce it to an acceptable level. Examples of CCPs may include: Cooking, chilling, metal detection, setting into suitable temperature. 3. Establish critical limits:  Once the CCP is identified, critical limit points needs to be assigned for each CCP.  There can be one or more critical limits for each CCP  Critical limits are defined as the maximum and/or minimum value of CCP such that the hazards are controlled and food safety is assured.  Critical limits must be defined on the scientific grounds and basis  Critical limits are usually based on factors such as: temperature, time, physical dimensions, humidity, moisture level, water activity (aw), pH, regulatory levels, etc. 4. Establish monitoring procedures  Generally, refers to the planning and carrying out monitoring for CCP  Monitoring should be done on regular basis  Monitoring technique may differ based on the CCP  Monitoring is necessary to identify the deviation and apply the effective measures  Monitoring is also necessary for future purpose and verification as monitoring process is documented. 5. Establish corrective actions  Corrective action is taken when the critical limit is not met  Corrective actions are pre-decided for each CCP  These actions make sure that no any harmful product reaches the market for consumption 6. Establish verification procedures  HACCP plan must be validated.  For testing the validity of the plan several steps can be taken such as checking out the random samples, reviewing the process, confirming that the CCP are under control.  Verification activities can be carried out by the external hired officers or the internal members.  No matter who performs the verification, it should be unbiased and fairly carried out. 7. Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures  Record keeping is must in HACCP  Records maintained should have the records or information regarding HACCP plan, CCP, critical limits, monitoring, corrective action, all the procedures including the verification procedures.  Recording keeping is necessary of validation and proper application of HACCP. Benefits of HACCP:  Ensures the consumer regarding the safety of the product  Prioritizes food safety and works to eliminate any kind of hazard  Necessary for the consistent quality products  Provides the framework to produce foods safely and to prove they were produced safely.  Prevents from the possible health outcomes that could have occurred due to mishandling during food production steps  HACCP is also necessary for obtaining validation. GUIDELINES FOR THE APPLICATION OF THE HACCP SYSTEM Prior to application of HACCP to any sector of the food chain, that sector should be operating according to the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene, the appropriate Codex Codes of Practice, and appropriate food safety legislation. Management commitment is necessary for implementation of an effective HACCP system. During hazard identification, evaluation, and subsequent operations in designing and applying HACCP systems, consideration must be given to the impact of raw materials, ingredients, food manufacturing practices, role of manufacturing processes to control hazards, likely end-use of the product, categories of consumers of concern, and epidemiological evidence relative to food safety. The intent of the HACCP system is to focus control at CCPs. Redesign of the operation should be considered if a hazard which must be controlled is identified but no CCPs are found. HACCP should be applied to each specific operation separately. CCPs identified in any given example in any Codex Code of Hygienic Practice might not be the only ones identified for a specific application or might be of a different nature. The HACCP application should be reviewed and necessary changes made when any modification is made in the product, process, or any step. It is important when applying HACCP to be flexible where appropriate, given the context of the application taking into account the nature and the size of the operation. APPLICATION The application of HACCP principles consists of the following tasks as identified in the Logic Sequence for Application of HACCP (Diagram 1). 1. Assemble HACCP team The food operation should assure that the appropriate product specific knowledge and expertise is available for the development of an effective HACCP plan. Optimally, this may be accomplished by assembling a multidisciplinary team. Where such expertise is not available on site, expert advice should be obtained from other sources. The scope of the HACCP plan should be identified. The scope should describe which segment of the food chain is involved and the general classes of hazards to be addressed (e.g. does it cover all classes of hazards or only selected classes). 2. Describe product A full description of the product should be drawn up, including relevant safety information such as: composition, physical/chemical structure (including Aw, pH, etc.), microcidal/static treatments (heat-treatment, freezing, brining, smoking, etc.), packaging, durability and storage conditions and method of distribution. 3. Identify intended use The intended use should be based on the expected uses of the product by the end user or consumer. In specific cases, vulnerable groups of the population, e.g. institutional feeding, may have to be considered. 4. Construct flow diagram The flow diagram should be constructed by the HACCP team. The flow diagram should cover all steps in the operation. When applying HACCP to a given operation, consideration should be given to steps preceding and following the specified operation. 5. On-site confirmation of flow diagram The HACCP team should confirm the processing operation against the flow diagram during all stages and hours of operation and amend the flow diagram where appropriate. 6. List all potential hazards associated with each step, conduct a hazard analysis, and consider any measures to control identified hazards (SEE PRINCIPLE 1) The HACCP team should list all of the hazards that may be reasonably expected to occur at each step from primary production, processing, manufacture, and distribution until the point of consumption. The HACCP team should next conduct a hazard analysis to identify for the HACCP plan which hazards are of such a nature that their elimination or reduction to acceptable levels is essential to the production of a safe food. In conducting the hazard analysis, wherever possible the following should be included: the likely occurrence of hazards and severity of their adverse health effects; the qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation of the presence of hazards; survival or multiplication of microorganisms of concern; production or persistence in foods of toxins, chemicals or physical agents; and, conditions leading to the above. The HACCP team must then consider what control measures, if any, exist which can be applied for each hazard. More than one control measure may be required to control a specific hazard(s) and more than one hazard may be controlled by a specified control measure. 7. Determine Critical Control Points (SEE PRINCIPLE 2) There may be more than one CCP at which control is applied to address the same hazard. The determination of a CCP in the HACCP system can be facilitated by the application of a decision tree (e.g. Diagram 2), which indicates a logic reasoning approach. Application of a decision tree should be flexible, given whether the operation is for production, slaughter, processing, storage, distribution or other. It should be used for guidance when determining CCPs. This example of a decision tree may not be applicable to all situations. Other approaches may be used. Training in the application of the decision tree is recommended. If a hazard has been identified at a step where control is necessary for safety, and no control measure exists at that step, or any other, then the product or process should be modified at that step, or at any earlier or later stage, to include a control measure. 8. Establish critical limits for each CCP (SEE PRINCIPLE 3) Critical limits must be specified and validated if possible for each Critical Control Point. In some cases more than one critical limit will be elaborated at a particular step. Criteria often used include measurements of temperature, time, moisture level, pH, Aw, available chlorine, and sensory parameters such as visual appearance and texture. 9. Establish a monitoring system for each CCP (SEE PRINCIPLE 4) Monitoring is the scheduled measurement or observation of a CCP relative to its critical limits. The monitoring procedures must be able to detect loss of control at the CCP. Further, monitoring should ideally provide this information in time to make adjustments to ensure control of the process to prevent violating the critical limits. Where possible, process adjustments should be made when monitoring results indicate a trend towards loss of control at a CCP. The adjustments should be taken before a deviation occurs. Data derived from monitoring must be evaluated by a designated person with knowledge and authority to carry out corrective actions when indicated. If monitoring is not continuous, then the amount or frequency of monitoring must be sufficient to guarantee the CCP is in control. Most monitoring procedures for CCPs will need to be done rapidly because they relate to on-line processes and there will not be time for lengthy analytical testing. Physical and chemical measurements are often preferred to microbiological testing because they may be done rapidly and can often indicate the microbiological control of the product. All records and documents associated with monitoring CCPs must be signed by the person(s) doing the monitoring and by a responsible reviewing official(s) of the company. 10. Establish corrective actions (SEE PRINCIPLE 5) Specific corrective actions must be developed for each CCP in the HACCP system in order to deal with deviations when they occur. The actions must ensure that the CCP has been brought under control. Actions taken must also include proper disposition of the affected product. Deviation and product disposition procedures must be documented in the HACCP record keeping. 11. Establish verification procedures (SEE PRINCIPLE 6) Establish procedures for verification. Verification and auditing methods, procedures and tests, including random sampling and analysis, can be used to determine if the HACCP system is working correctly. The frequency of verification should be sufficient to confirm that the HACCP system is working effectively. Examples of verification activities include: Review of the HACCP system and its records; Review of deviations and product dispositions; Confirmation that CCPs are kept under control. Where possible, validation activities should include actions to confirm the efficacy of all elements of the HACCP plan. 12. Establish Documentation and Record Keeping (SEE PRINCIPLE 7) Efficient and accurate record keeping is essential to the application of a HACCP system. HACCP procedures should be documented. Documentation and record keeping should be appropriate to the nature and size of the operation. Documentation examples are: Hazard analysis; CCP determination; Critical limit determination. Record examples are: CCP monitoring activities; Deviations and associated corrective actions; Modifications to the HACCP system. An example of a HACCP worksheet is attached as Diagram 3. TRAINING Training of personnel in industry, government and academia in HACCP principles and applications, and increasing awareness of consumers are essential elements for the effective implementation of HACCP. As an aid in developing specific training to support a HACCP plan, working instructions and procedures should be developed which define the tasks of the operating personnel to be stationed at each Critical Control Point. Cooperation between primary producer, industry, trade groups, consumer organizations, and responsible authorities is of vital importance. Opportunities should be provided for the joint training of industry and control authorities to encourage and maintain a continuous dialogue and create a climate of understanding in the practical application of HACCP. DIAGRAM 1. LOGIC SEQUENCE FOR THE APPLICATION OF HACCP DIAGRAM 2. EXAMPLE OF DECISION TREE TO IDENTIFY CCP S (answer questions in sequence)