Integrated approach across prerequisite programmes and procedures based on HACCP principles

Abstract

Food business operators are required to implement and maintain a system based on HACCP principles. The HACCP is the only food safety management system, the implementation of which is obligatory. The standards laid down by the Codex Alimentarius Commission serve as benchmarks not only for the obligatory implementation of the HACCP system principles, but also for private standards such as ISO, IFS or BRC. A voluntary implementation of private standards may lead to the wrong assumption that food companies do not necessarily have to but only may comply with the guidelines laid down by the implemented standard. The HACCP system guarantees no absolute food safety in and of itself. The underlying assumption of the HACCP system is that high-risk hazards should be controlled with the use of critical control points (CCPs). It is impossible to identify CCPs in all enterprises. In certain food businesses there are exclusively medium-risk or low-risk hazards that may be controlled with oPRPs or PRPs, respectively. The awareness on the role of critical control points and prerequisite programmes in the producer's efforts to prevent or eliminate hazards, or to reduce them to acceptable levels, is a key for performing a comprehensive supervision. During the performance of an official control, instead of focusing exclusively on the HACCP procedures, it is reasonable to apply an integrated approach comprising both prerequisite programmes and the HACCP principles..