HACCP Information and Links

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)

• Systematic preventative approach to food, consumer products, pharmaceutical safety
• History
  • Principles developed by NASA in the 1950’s as a result of a need to better guarantee the safety of food in space.
  • NASA teamed up with Pillsbury in 1959 to develop more "earthly" applications.
  • Identify the critical points in product production process at which hazards were likely introduced. From there program is developed to control these critical points, thus CCP’s
• Address 3 types of hazards
  • Physical (Glass, wood, metal etc)
  • Chemical (pesticides, toxins, allergens etc)
  • Biological (pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses, prions etc)
• Food SAFETY concerns only
  • Food quality is an aesthetic issue. HACCP plans are only concerned with keeping the food safe.
  • Example: E. coli O157:H7 in bean sprouts = Food Safety Issue, Moldy bean sprouts = Food Quality issue
• HACCP Seven Principles
  • Conduct Hazard Analysis
  • Identify Critical Control Points (CCP’s)
  • Establish critical Limits for each CCP
  • Establish CCP Monitoring requirements
  • Establish Corrective Actions
  • Establish record keeping procedures
  • Establish verifications procedures
• Regulations
  • 1973 – FDA applied HACCP to Low Acid Canned Food Regulations
  • 1988 – HACCP principles promoted and incorporated into food safety legislation all over the world
  • 1996 – USDA established the Pathogen Reduction/ HACCP program under the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for raw meat facilities
• Applicable tests
  • Pathogen screens to validate safety
    • Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes
    • Salmonella
    • E. coli O157:H7
    • Campylobacter
    • Clostridium
  • APC, Coliform/E.coli indicators of bacterial load, pathogen indicator and fecal contamination