HACCP - A food safety assurance program for manufacturers

HACCP ( Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is an international recognized food safety assurance program for medicine and food manufacturers. Food exporters should obtain this certification in order to export to countries like China and USA.

The program is about identifying the potential biological, chemical and physical hazards in each processing steps and to initial control procedures for each hazards. There are several benefits of applying HACCP -

1. Reduce risk

HACCP able to determine hazards and control before product non-conformance and wastage occurred.

2. Increase stakeholders, customers and local authority's confidence

The systematic food safety management gain confidence of stakeholder.

3. Passport to export

HACCP had been a mandatory for exporting foods to USA, US and China. Since 2009, China had requested Malaysia seafood manufacturers to implement and document HACCP program before they are allowed to export to China.

4. Obtain Health Certificate faster. (export)

HACCP certified exporter could obtain Health Certificate in 3 days compare to manufacturer without HACCP certified exporter that need about 21 days. Non-HACCP certified exporter do have to send the products for lab analysis and obtain test reports. The good result of test reports is needed to get Health Certificate, while HACCP certified exporter could skip this step.

HACCP is not a stand alone program. It is formed by pre-requisite program which consist of elements such as cleaning and sanitation, personal hygiene, pest control, traceability etc. When the program is implemented and controlled, a HACCP plan can be built up based on the 7 HACCP principles -

Principle 1: To conduct a hazard analysis of every processing steps in process flow.

Principle 2: Determine critical control points (CCPs) from each identified hazard. If the hazard needs control measures to avoid food safety issue, then the step is a CCP.

Principle 3: Establishing critical limits. If the steps are confirmed to be a CCP, set the limit (maximum tolerance) of the measures that coudl avoid food safety issue.  For instance, if the CCP is the bacteria growth and the control is to keep low temperature, do set the temperature limits of the product, say <5oC. This is to state that the product temperature should be controlled to less than 5oC to avoid food safety issue.

Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures. After setting the limits, we can set up procedure on HOW to control to the level that below the limit.

Principle 5: Establish corrective actions. Setting actions to be done when there are non-compliance in the control procedures. 

Principle 6: Establish verification procedures. This is to check if the procedures is done correctly.

Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures.  All records & statements, procedures should be documented, at least 2 years, or depending on the shelf life of the product.

HACCP is a systematic and robust food safety assurance program. Organization that implementing this program would be able to reduce the food safety issues. The controls are more precise than GMP or MeSTI.

Credit: 

1. Safe Food Alliance
2. Food safety & quality division, Kedah State Health Department
3. US Food & Drug Administration.
4.Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA–LINCOLN
5. LLOYD'S REGISTER MALAYSIA