Chapter 36 - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP)

Abstract

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is the internationally recognized method for ensuring food safety. Together with basic good hygiene practices, it enhances food safety by reinforcing the preventive approach to the management of hazards and by shifting control from the final product to the stages of food production. This chapter of the book Food Safety Management: A Practical Guide for the Food Industry presents the historical development of the HACCP system, from its origin to its current implementation. The principles of HACCP, as well as its application, maintenance, and regulatory assessment are described. The principles of validation and verification and their interrelation are explained in detail. The implementation of HACCP has been often hampered by a number of misconceptions, and most of all lack of understanding how HACCP fits in the overall management of food safety. In this chapter, we try to contextualize HACCP system in the broader context of food safety management.