The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a system that ensures potential food hazards are controlled in any food business. A HACCP system requires users to inspect and prevent chemical, biological, and physical food contaminants from production to consumption. Most industry regulators recommend a food safety system based on these principles.
The primary industries covered by HACCP include seafood, dairy, retail & food service, juice, and meat & poultry. Are you planning to implement this system in your business and possibly acquire an online HACCP certification? Read on to learn more.
Developing a HACCP Plan
Before developing a HACCP program or getting that online HACCP certification, you must first prepare some prerequisites to get you started. Typical prerequisites include pests, allergens, and chemical controls. These will defer according to the food produced, processes used, and purpose of your plant.
With prerequisites in place, here is how to develop a HACCP plan.
- Gather Your HACCP Team
You need to create a team where all participants understand your food product and the manufacturing process so they can contribute to the planning stage. You should ideally have a representative from production, quality assurance, sanitation, engineering, and food microbiology, among other departments.
- Outline Your Products and Distribution
With a team in place, describe your product by listing the ingredients, processing method, and how you distribute them (is it frozen, refrigerated, or room temperature).
- Describe Your Products’ Consumers
You will outline your target market for the product and its intended use here.
- Have a Flow Diagram for the Process
With all the descriptions done, the team will create a flow diagram that aims to outline the entire production and distribution process. As simple as the charts are, they should describe each production right from receiving raw materials to distribution of the end product.
- Corroborate the Flow Diagram
The flow diagram is then reviewed and verified through a series of on-site visits and walkthroughs. There is always room to modify it according to your findings.
After the processes are laid out, you will tackle the HACCP principles, which include evaluating hazards and how you can address them.
- Document your Plan
Write down your HACCP plan based on the identified critical control points during the hazard analysis.
HACCP Sytem Implementation
As you plan on this system, it is essential that you train your team to implement it. Most of these safety food programs have courses where participants can get online HACCP certification.
In the course of implementation, you will be required to monitor your HACCP system to ensure everything works as planned. There are several programs to help you measure your compliance with food safety. They include;
- HACCP Software
- ZipHACCP
- Safefood 360
- HACCP Now
Conclusion
Planning, implementing, and tracking your company’s HACCP system involves a lot of paperwork and research. You are obligated to look for an online HACCP certification to confirm that your project efficiently controls food safety procedures in your business. With effective systems in place, you can get an auditor for your company.
