Principles of Food Sanitation

considering where the team or plant crew
has observed an accumulation of food,
biofilms, and potential bacteria.
Maintenance of an effective HACCP
(process) depends upon regularly scheduled
verification activities. Although the FDA
and FSIS do not set reassessment time
requirements, the plan should be updated
and revised as needed or suggested by regu-
latory authorities. Good management prac-
tices dictate the reassessment protocol that
is most appropriate. A manufacturing facil-
ity is responsible for establishing verification
tables. The process, procedure, ingredients,
cGMP’s, and decisions must be correct and
have documentation of scientific data and
history to support this correctness.

HACCP Auditing and Validation

After an HACCP plan has been developed
and implemented, it should be audited
within the first year to determine its effec-
tiveness. Verification should have been
accomplished to review those activities,
other than monitoring, that determine the
adequacy of and compliance with the plan.
Verification confirms adherence to require-
ments and procedures. Auditing may be
conducted through the HACCP team, man-
agement, or a consultant and/or food scientist.
Auditing should include a comprehensive
review of the entire plan with evaluation and
documented observations, conclusions, and
recommendations. Auditing serves as a
report card for the plan and provides future
direction. Furthermore, auditing contribu-
tes to validation of the plan. Validation, as
defined by the National Advisory Commit-
tee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods
(1997), is that element of verification that
focuses on the collection and evaluation
of information to determine whether the
HACCP plan, when implemented properly,
will effectively control the significant
hazards.

Summary.................................................................................................

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points is

a state-of-the-art preventive approach to safe

food production. This concept is based on the

application of prevention and documenta-

tion. HACCP is a proactive prevention pro-

gram based on sound science. The essential

steps for HACCP plan development are:

assembly of an HACCP team; description of

the food and its intended use; identification of

the consumers of the food; development and

verification of a process flow diagram; con-

duction of a hazard analysis; identification of

critical control points; and establishment of

critical limits, monitoring requirements, cor-

rective actions for deviations, procedures for

verification, and record-keeping procedures.

Good manufacturing practices are consid-

ered the building blocks of HACCP, and

sanitation operating procedures are the cor-

nerstones for an HACCP plan. Documenta-

tion needed for an effective plan includes

descriptions of HACCP team-assigned

responsibilities, product description and

intended use, flow diagram with identified

CCPs, details of significant hazards with

information concerning preventive measures,

critical limits, monitoring to be conducted,

corrective action plans in place for devia-

tions from critical limits, procedures for ver-

ification of the plan, and record-keeping

procedures. Periodic auditing is necessary for

validation and to provide a report card for

the program.

Study questions

1. What is HACCP?


2. What is a hazard?


3. What is a critical control point?


4. What are CGMPs?


5. What is the meaning of sanitation
   SOPs?

114 PRINCIPLES OFFOODSANITATION