HACCP IN RETAIL OPERATIONS INTEGRATING FDA FISHERIES, USDA, FDA INDUSTRIAL, AND FDA RETAIL HACCP INTO ONE SET OF RETAIL FOOD INDUSTRY SELF-CONTROL REQUIREMENTS

Abstract

In 1992, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) published a document on HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) that identified the format for food industry process analysis. The NACMCF divided the documentation into two sections: (1) prerequisite programs and (2) food process hazard analysis and control. Since that time, this NACMCF-HACCP document has evolved into the international application of food industry HACCP through the Codex Alimintarius Commission. In the United States, HACCP programs for the food industry have also been developed by the USDA and FDA in order to assure food safety. HACCP can be adapted for use in retail foodservice operations to assure the safety and quality of multiple food item preparation and delivery processes. The control document for HACCP in retail food operations is the recipe. Hazards should be based on proven risks that have caused illness. They should not be based on visual cleanliness and quality standards. Hazard controls must be based on science and validated in retail food operations as achievable. The end result of HACCP is industry self-control. When the foodservice industry implements HACCP, there will be little or no need for regulatory inspections, because cooks will follow scientifically proven procedures and controls. Having a two-hour inspection once a year does not assure food safety. It is important to implement HACCP in retail foodservice operations (and in homes) in a way that will be used by cooks and chefs, because food preparation individuals are the critical control point.