The Role of HACCP in Sanitation

Abstract

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), a preventive approach to safe food production, applies the principles of prevention and documentation. The essential components for HACCP development are HACCP team assembly, description of the food and its intended use, identification of the consumers of the food, development and verification of a process flow diagram, hazard analysis, identification of critical control points (CCPs), establishment of critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions for deviations, procedures for verification, and record keeping.

Good manufacturing practices (GMPs) are essential building blocks of HACCP, and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) are the cornerstones for the plan. Documentation needed for an effective plan includes descriptions of HACCP team-assigned responsibilities, product description and intended use, flow diagram with identified critical control points (CCPs), details of significant hazards with information concerning preventive measures, critical limits, monitoring to be conducted, corrective action plans in place for deviations from critical limits, procedures for verification of the plan, and record-keeping procedures. Periodic auditing is necessary for validation and evaluation of the program. Although parallels exist between HACCP and the Preventive Controls Rule for Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls (HARPC), a challenge is likely as to how it will interface with HACCP.