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HACCP - What is it?
HACCP - What is it?
The importance of HACCP
With the keyword hygiene no catering business comes past the HACCP principles. HACCP means "**Hazard *A*nalysis and **Critical Control Points" - in German "Gefahrenanalyse und kritische Lenkungspunkte". It is a system designed to help control all potential food safety hazards. A HACCP concept goes far beyond standard basic hygiene, which is about preventing threats from arising in the first place through regular thorough kitchen cleaning and personnel hygiene. An HACCP concept, on the other hand, defines specific solutions for all possible situations.
The legal requirements
Throughout the EU, all food companies are obliged to set up an HACCP system. This is laid down in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. The requirement applies to all companies in the food industry, regardless of their size. The HACCP concept must be prepared individually for each company; there are no universally valid HACCP systems. However, it is possible to adapt industry-typical standards to one's own company.
Aids such as ready-made instructions, diagrams and checklists can also be used. JMC Verlag provides comprehensive instructions for creating the HACCP concept as well as checklists to fill out.
The steps of the HACCP concept
Step 1: Hazard identification
The analysis of potential hazards involves defining which threats can possibly occur during the preparation and processing of food. Mainly bacteria and other microorganisms are problematic here, but foreign bodies in the food also fall into this category. Anyone who runs a catering business must ensure that only flawless food is served to the guest. In order to be able to guarantee this, it is necessary to analyze which hazards could occur in which areas and with what probability.
Our tip
Use a risk matrix for the hazard analysis. There you enter how probable a certain scenario is, e.g. for the delivery of goods, and which effects are to be expected in this case. Based on this matrix, you can see in which case action is required or which risk is negligible.
Step 2: CPs and CCPs
CPs and CCPs must now be defined for the identified threats. These control points are intended to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the impact of the threats to an acceptable level.
- CPs are control points that can be used to minimize risks. An example of this is cold food. If care is taken to ensure that refrigeration is uninterrupted and that food is processed within a limited period of time, germs cannot multiply to the extent that they could pose a threat to the guest.
- CCPs are critical control points. They are designed not only to minimize risks, but also to eliminate them. An example of this is ensuring a core temperature of at least +72°C. This safely kills any germs and bacteria that may be present.
Our tip
To identify CPs and CCPs, it is best to use a decision tree. Using the graphical representation in a decision tree, you can quickly visualize the different steps that are going on in your kitchen or operation.
Let's look at the delivery of fresh poultry meat as an example. If you control the delivery temperature of the meat, does this minimize or eliminate the danger (i.e., the salmonella that may be contained)? No, because cooling food only ensures that pathogenic germs do not multiply, or multiply only very slowly. It does not eliminate them. You can therefore minimize the risk of salmonella multiplying to an unacceptable extent by consistently maintaining the cold chain from the moment the goods are delivered. Such a control measure, in which the danger (e.g. salmonella) is not eliminated but the risk is minimized, is called CP (control point).
Our tip
Keep a close eye on what's going on in your operation and talk to your employees. An independent consultant outside your foodservice operation can also help you determine efficient control points (CP) and critical control points (CCP). Still, you know your business best and can make decisions about how to implement HACCP wisely.
HACCP Advice from JMC Publishing
Step 3: Definition of limit values
Limit values must be defined for the CCPs and CPs. At what point is a hazard considered avoided? Up to what point can the risk be considered acceptable?
Concrete limits are, for example, temperature specifications for cold stores: fresh fish must be stored at 0-2°C, for fresh poultry meat the maximum temperature in the cold store may be +4°C.
Our tip
Equip your company with checklists on which limit values are recorded for each production step. In this way, you can guarantee excellent hygiene and be prepared when a food inspection is due.
Step 4: Develop a control and monitoring system
In order for the CCPs and CPs to be properly monitored, a control and monitoring system must be established. This is where it is determined on what occasion and how often a temperature will be controlled.
Step 5: Determine corrective actions
If monitoring shows that one of the control points is not under control, it must be regulated how this condition can be remedied.
Our tip
Create a separate master sheet for each of the control points, on which all important information is summarized. This way, everyone quickly knows what to do in the event of an irregularity.
Step 6: Design a verification procedure
Specific procedures must be established to periodically verify that the procedure complies with the first 5 steps of the HACCP concept. You check retrospectively whether the HACCP concept is working properly. Have all controls been carried out properly? Were there any deviations from the target specifications? If so, what action was taken? Were there any complaints related to food safety despite the HACCP concept?
Step 7: Complete documentation
In order to be able to prove that the procedures in a catering business are HACCP-compliant, documents and records must be created and kept. The documentation serves as proof in the event of official inspections.