HACCP

[Audio] From Focus Academy an overview of haiysup system. A learning session for food safety teams. This is a brief information on the internationally recognized system being adopted to assure food safety..

[Audio] Haisup system can be defined in a number of ways. One way is to understand it with the help of its constituent words. Hazard means harmful agent Analysis means Study or investigation Critical means any thing which is the most important or need special attention. Control means to Keep something under control. Or manage or regulate something that went or have tendency to go out of control. Point means any material or stage or process or location. So Haisup means to investigate about the most important harmful agents and find out the point where they may enter in the food. And finally to have some arrangements to keep those hazards under control..

[Audio] As we have seen that one of the ways to understand haisup is getting the understanding of its constituent words. Here is another example. Hazard is anything that may cause danger to health and safety. Analysis is to do investigation about hazards under study. Critical is anything which is crucial or necessary to keep under control. Control is handling of the conditions under which food is prepared. Definitely the "control" here means to handle the conditions such that to keep the hazards under acceptable levels. Point is the position or step of the production process which is under study or investigation for hazard analysis. If, after hazard analysis, that point is declared as critical, then that point will be defined as CCP – Critical Control Point..

[Audio] Uptill now we have learned that HACCP is a system to identify and control the critical hazards to food safety. Before haisup, we had two renowned model to manage quality. QC and QA. One may ask that why then we required a new system to manage quality of food products. QC and QA models may also be applied to control quality including food safety of food products but we need to have some special requirements for managing food safety. In QC and QA models, we have separate concepts like critical quality control points or safety points management etc. These concepts were introduced to manage those quality parameters which are critical with respect to safety of people, infrastructure or environment. But these concepts were not recognized by any international standardization authority. In the early ninteen sixties, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA) asked Pillsbury to design and manufacture the first foods for space flights. Using the traditional end product testing method was not feasible. Therefore, a new approach was needed. NASA's own requirements for critical control points ( CCP) in engineering management would be used as a guide for food safety. Using that information, NASA and Pillsbury managed to identify "critical failure areas" and eliminate them from the system. Several botulism cases were attributed to under-processed low-acid canned foods in 1970– 71. The United States Food and Drug Administration ( FDA) asked Pillsbury to organize and conduct a training program on the inspection of canned foods for FDA inspectors. Pillsbury's training program, which was submitted to the FDA for review in 1969, entitled " Food Safety through the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System" was the first use of the acronym HACCP. In 1969, Codex Alimentarius Commission ( CAC), a body established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, developed and published standard for the application of HACCP principles in food industries. Since then, HACCP has been recognized internationally as a logical tool for adapting traditional inspection methods to a modern, science-based, food safety system. Based on risk-assessment, HACCP plans allow both industry and government to allocate their resources efficiently by establishing and auditing safe food production practices. QC is an approach that focus on product quality. QA is an approach that focus on process quality to produce quality products. HACCP focus both on product quality and food production processes with the prime objective to ultimately get safe food product using operationally feasibility..

[Audio] Structure of Haisup system consists of seven principles and twelve steps. We will not go through these as it will become out of scope right now. Objective to implement Haisup system is to handle critical hazards such that to either prevent them, and if can not be prevented, eliminate them, and if can neither be prevented nor eliminated, reduce them to or below acceptable level so that that critical hazards would not be able to make food unsafe..

[Audio] As we have learned that structure of Haisup system consists of 7 principles and 12 steps. Rather than learn them one by one, we have made a summary for comprehensive but easy to understand. We will look each point one by one..

[Audio] The starting point is to make a haisup team. That team must comprises of competent members that is skilled persons who either know by qualification what is food safety or must be trained by any competent person. Number of persons are not important but competence is. Haisup team must be trained on its objectives and procedure to follow in order to develop and implement haisup system in a real spirit..

[Audio] Next, Haisup team should start and compile all the information that is required to support hazard analysis. Information about product to produce, production process, raw material, ingredients, packaging, utensils etc. All the information is gathered with the intention to assist in finding all the possible hazards that may either be present as a natural phenomenon or be introduced from outside. For example while collecting information on raw material say meat, we should collect information on microbiological acceptability of raw meat. We should have information what microorganisms are naturally occurring in raw meat, what are their acceptable limits while accepting as raw meat, what are the acceptable limits while processing or converting it to finished good. Information on what are the preservation techniques being used and what are their limitations, pros and cons..

[Audio] We have learned that before start to perform hazard analysis we need information on which analysis will be performed. The first segment on which we need information is product itself. We should have information on product like 1) What is the intended use of that product (for all, for infants, for patients, for human, for animals, ready to eat, ready to cook, to be used as ingredient, to be used as raw material, to be used as processing aid for other food production facility etc.) 2) Type of product such as (solid, liquid, semi-solid, composite etc.) 3) Physical & chemical characteristics ( moisture content, water activity, pH, brix etc.) 4) Microbiological characteristics (Acceptable limits of concerned pathogens) 5) Preservation techniques to use 6) Packaging (Primary packaging and out packaging. Outer packaging will be important where need to prevent or reduce handling or environmental impacts).

[Audio] We then need to have a flow diagram that help us to map processes which will be utilized to realize the product. Process flow diagram helps To identify all the processes in one-go. To add necessary or delete unnecessary step based on logical sequencing. To identify all inputs to the process ( raw material, utilities etc.) and points where they are inputted. To identify all outputs from the process ( products, by-products, process wastes). To start identifying which hazard may arise at which steps or which step need more information during hazard analysis. To finally assist during hazard analysis to remain organized and do hazard analysis of each raw material, each ingredient, each process, each step and each location..

[Audio] Information on Raw Material & ingredients may include Type of material such as (solid, liquid, semi-solid, composite, natural, synthetic, origin etc.) Physical & chemical characteristics ( moisture content, water activity, pH, brix etc.) 3) Microbiological characteristics (Acceptable limits of concerned pathogens) 5) Preservation techniques or food safety practices used if material is perishable. 6) Packaging (Primary packaging and out packaging. Outer packaging will be important where need to prevent or reduce handling or environmental impacts).

[Audio] Detailed information on Processes are required such as What material is used at which stage. What process parameters are used to process the material. What method is used to process the material. What machine, equipment, devices are used to process the material..

[Audio] Material of any thing which get in contact with food from receiving to final packing is " food contact material". Food contact material may include Primary packaging material in which raw material is packed. Utensils, containers in which raw material is unpacked or prepared. Surfaces on which food is prepared and in which food is processed. Spoons and accessories through which material is prepared or processed. Primary packaging material in which food is packed. Information on food contact material may include following. Constitutes or composition of material. Regulations on use or prohibition as food contact material. COA, inspection reports or assurance from material manufacturer..

[Audio] Once all the necessary information is compiled related to product, processes and materials, hazard analysis can be started. Use any convenient format to list down every raw material, every food contact material and every process step in a sequence. For example, if you are going to perform hazard analysis of a ready-to-eat food processing your list may look like as follows. Raw material A Raw material B Ingredient C Process 1, Step-1 Process 1, Step-2 Process 2, Step 1 Process 2, Step 2 Process 3 Primary packing Labelling Secondary packing Finished good carton labelling Now focus on one item of the above list at a time and with the help of information, expertise and experience, determine potential hazards in following catergory. Microbiological hazard for example Salmonela in raw meat, E-coli in raw vegetables Chemical hazard for example pesticides in raw vegetables Allergens for example soya sauce Physical hazard for example stone and dust in lentils, hair of food handler in prepared food or metal parts of machine during processing. Once all the hazards are identified, use any appropriate methodology of logical reasoning to determine whether hazards at any step are so critical that could make that step a critical control point. If a step is declared as CCP, critical limits and control measures should also be defined that are available or should be available at that point to control that specific hazards..

[Audio] Once specific control measures are determined at CCP's, these must be validated (or tested) to find whether they works as expected and results would be OK as desired..

[Audio] Determine and implement the monitoring system after applying the validated control measures at specific CCP's to monitor whether or not control measures are working in actual running conditions as expected. Be aware that there is a difference between monitoring and checking, also there is difference between monitoring and verification. Monitoring is just taking observations, recording that information and presenting the report to the authority. However monitor may be authorized to stop the line in case of serious errors or noncompliances..

[Audio] A control system should be established and deployed at each CCP do that if during monitoring critical limits are not met or going to compromise, controls could be applied to correct the product and process or to take corrective actions..

[Audio] Verification system must be developed and implemented to assure that all controls are working as expected and all hazards are under acceptable levels. Specifically stated that verification is to verify that critical limits are being met and Haisup system is working properly and where critical limits got violated, conditions get back to normal. Verification of haisup system should be made on planned intervals..

[Audio] Last but not least, documentation system must be established to have procedures at the point of use to share appropriate information especially required to apply controls at CCP and to take actions at noncompliance's. Records must be maintained to provide evidences for compliances and to provide grounds for CA and improvements in the haisup system. Documentation system will provide basis for updating of initial information that was primarily used for hazard analysis. Due to on-going advancement in the food science and technology, we need to periodically review and update the information that supports hazard analysis. This updating is a crucial part of haisup documentation..