Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is an internationally accepted technique in relation to food safety. It aims to prevent microbiological, physical, and chemical contamination of food along the supply chain. Many food products are imported into the country and they require a safety check and certifications like haccp Singapore help in this process. There are seven principles of HACCP.
- Conducting a hazard analysis is the first step in a food safety plan. It identifies all the hazards that may happen when cooking food, receiving raw materials, serving food, and disposing of waste. Contamination of food can happen due to bacteria or virus infestation, physical contamination (presence of dangerous objects like glass or metal), and in chemical form (detergents mix).
- The control points at which the hazards are identified and stopped are to be assigned next. These are called the critical control points and when it is identified at this stage, food-borne diseases that may prove dangerous can be averted.
- Critical limits should be assigned and these are measured as temperature, acidity, expiry dates, and time. It is the minimum or maximum to which a food safety hazard must be controlled.
- Monitoring CCPs is another principle followed. Food should be within the limits specified in each critical control point. It includes sensory, physical, chemical, and observation monitoring.
- Corrective actions should be taken which can be immediate and also preventive. The action taken should be communicated to the business to avoid the same in the future.
- For an effective food safety plan, a record should be maintained. Record of temperature readings, delivery checklist, pest inspection results, etc should be maintained.
- An audit of the food safety plan should be conducted once a year to check its effectiveness. Any deficiency in the same should be corrected. Both internal inspections and external audits are verification methods.
