The Risk Assessment in the Food Industry HACCP The Risk Assessment in the Food Industry

Aims and Objectives To understand why we need HACCP How it is applied in the food industry To know about the different stages required in a HACCP system To understand how it can be applied during your GCSE course

What is Risk Assessment? Risk assessment means making an assessment of any risk to a food product during its production. In short it is: Thinking about what could happen Planning how to prevent it from happening

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points Risk Assessment in the food industry is know as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points Analyses what could go wrong Sets up procedures and controls to avoid problems ‘end product testing’ can be time consuming

What is HACCP? A method of food safety management An important risk assessment method A procedure whereby the whole food company makes a commitment to quality production. Hazard- anything that can cause harm to the consumer Critical control point- a stage where a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level Control- setting standards for a system and maintaining them

Why do we need HACCP? Hazards may be: Microbiological- Salmonella, Listeria Physical- glass from bottles, metal, wood Chemical- pesticides, cleaning chemicals Hazards can occur at any stage in the food production chain from field to factory or shop to table

How is HACCP Applied in the Food Industry? A team of people is needed to organise the HACCP system as they need to : Understand food processing Be trained in food safety Have knowledge of microbiology Such a team will have included in it a range of people: Quality assurance staff An engineer A microbiologist Production staff

Stages of HACCP There are 7 stages to a HACCP system: Hazard analysis Critical control points Critical limits Monitoring Corrective action Record keeping Verifying

Hazard Analysis Step 1 Draw up a flow chart of the food production process from raw materials to consumer use Identify any potential hazards Describe ways and options for control of those hazards

Example of a Flow Chart

Critical Control Points (CCP’s) Step 2 Identify the critical control points using a decision tree At the CCP’s hazards must be prevented by setting up preventative measures e.g. Control of temperatures to prevent bacterial growth Control of end-cooking temperatures Control of weights to give consistent quantities Contamination controls

Critical Limits Step 3 To control each CCP target levels need to be set e.g. Temperature range for cook-chill cabinet is 0 C- 5 C These targets or tolerance levels are called critical limits

Monitoring Step 4 Monitoring must be set up at each CCP and involves: Measuring or observing stages of the production process Making sure the critical limits at each CP are met e.g. Digital temperature displays on refrigerator cabinets Metal detectors on production lines Pest control units Regular checks by staff

Corrective Action Step 5 If a problem occurs and critical limits are exceeded then corrective action needs to be taken e.g. Repairing a refrigerator Replacing machinery parts Sieving an ingredient to detect any physical contamination

Record Keeping Step 6 Full details of the raw materials, components, the processing and the final product are required e.g. The HACCP plan Staff training Temperature logs Cleaning schedules Maintenance records Delivery schedules Suppliers

Verification Stage 7 Set up a system, tests or procedures to check if the HACCP plan is working effectively Review or modify the plan according to the findings

Applying HACCP in the Food Industry At first HACCP may seem very complex but it is just a series of steps to eliminate health risks. Some points to remember: HACCP can be used in any food industry Training is essential for all staff If too many hazards are identified the production process may need to be changed