Chapter 6 - Preventive Controls

Abstract

To ensure the safety of the products they sell to consumers, retail food businesses need to understand the preventive controls that their suppliers use to minimize known or foreseeable food safety hazards in their ingredients and products. Preventive controls are a familiar concept to anyone who has used a hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) or HACCP-like system to reduce or prevent hazards. Just as the Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCHF) regulations expand the types of hazards that need to be assessed when manufacturing a food product, the PCHF regulations also increase the types of controls that should be considered to prevent or eliminate these hazards. These risk-based preventive controls are important food safety specifications that retail food businesses can use in the management of food safety in their supply chain. In addition to process preventive controls (which mirror the types of controls found in HACCP plans), food allergen preventive controls, sanitation preventive controls, supply-chain preventive controls, recall plans, and other controls should be considered in a Food Safety Plan. The flexibility of the PCHF regulations allows the manufacturer to identify appropriate controls that best fit a particular product and facility. Resources to help choose suitable controls for various hazards are discussed.