THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SAFETY

Food safety should be the first priority of all those involved in the production, processing, packaging and distribution of food. In addition to the legal sanctions that exist in cases of non-compliance with basic hygiene rules, the production or distribution of unsafe food may also cause irreversible damage to the business.

The safety of food addressed to the consumer is emerging as a requirement today and is achieved by excluding any hazard (physical, chemical and microbiological) from food. “A hazard is a biological, chemical or physical property that can make food unsafe” (NACMACF, 1992). Food safety is described in the European Union Directive 93/43/EEC on the Hygiene of Food. The implementation of this directive is now mandatory for all European food industries and consequently also for Greek ones.

Directive 93/43/EEC largely describes the HACCP System. HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a food safety assurance system. The philosophy of the HACCP system is based on the identification, assessment and control of hazards (physical, chemical and microbiological) at all stages of production, from the development and harvesting of raw materials to the distribution and use of the final product by the consumer. HACCP is a preventive food safety assurance system that focuses on Critical Control Points (CCPs). The aim of the system is to ensure the greatest possible degree of food safety and to minimize the possibility of safety problems occurring.

THE 7 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF HACCP

The development and implementation of HACCP, according to the NACMCF (1992) edition, is based on the following 7 basic principles:

Principle 1: Identification of potential hazards associated with food production at all stages, from the growth and harvesting of raw materials, the production process, the processing and distribution of products, to their final preparation and consumption. Evaluation of the likelihood of occurrence and severity of the hazards and identification of preventive measures to control them.

Principle 2: Identification of points / processes / operating phases that can be controlled to eliminate a hazard or minimize the likelihood of its occurrence (Critical Control Point - CCP).

Principle 3: Establish critical limits that must be met to ensure that each CCP is under control.

Principle 4: Establish a system for monitoring CCPs and their critical limits. Establish procedures for processing the results of monitoring, with the aim of regulating production and maintaining it under control.

Principle 5: Establish corrective actions that must be taken whenever the monitoring system indicates that a specific CCP is out of control, i.e. that a deviation from a specified critical limit occurs.

Principle 6: Establish an effective system for archiving and recording the HACCP plan.

Principle 7: Identify verification procedures that confirm that the HACCP system is operating correctly and effectively.

DEVELOPMENT OF A FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM - HACCP

Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) is described in the form of requirements (criteria) in the International standard ISO 22000:2018. In order to be certified according to ISO 22000, a food business must have conducted a study to identify the Critical Control Points (i.e. the points in the production process at which food is at risk of being contaminated by chemical, physical or microbiological agents) and constantly monitor these points with indicators that it will determine, in order to avoid contamination problems.

For this purpose, the company must draw up a HACCP plan, which defines in detail:

-  the hazards,

-  the points at which the hazards must be controlled (critical control points (CCP)),

-  the main limits to be observed for the selected control parameters,

-  the monitoring methods to be adopted,

-  the corrective actions to be taken if monitoring shows that a critical control point is out of control,

-  the person responsible for monitoring / controlling each critical control point,

-  the additional procedures etc. that support the HACCP plan,

-  the points where monitoring / controlling is documented.

The international standard ISO 22000:2018 (Food Safety Management System) is applicable to all categories of food and beverage businesses that are directly or indirectly involved in the wider food production and distribution cycle. Consequently, the ISO 22000 standard is also applicable to companies that cooperate in a supportive manner with the above businesses, such as companies producing cleaning and disinfectants, providing disinfestation and myocide services, and animal feed production companies.

PROSPERITY LTD, with many years of experience, undertakes the study and development of a Food Safety Management System, which is then implemented by the interested business with the guidance of the PROSPERITY LTD experts. The Food Safety Management System will meet the requirements of the International Standard ISO 22000:2018. The correct implementation of the System and the satisfaction of the requirements of the standard can, if the company so wishes, be inspected by an independent Certification Body, which will issue a certificate of conformity.

At this point, we should point out that PROSPERITY LTD does not simply carry out studies, but provides its clients with the know-how to design, implement and maintain a Food Safety Management System. This means in simple words that PROSPERITY LTD trains the executives of the Companies/Organizations on the one hand to fully understand the requirements of the ISO 22000 standard and on the other hand to know how to use the tools it will provide them (Manuals, procedures, forms, Instructions, software, applications, etc.).