Food quality means general features and criteria by means of which food is characterized considering its nutritional value, organoleptic quality and safety for consumer health.

Food quality Moreover, it is defined as a set of food product features and factors shaping these features over the whole product life cycle, i.e. from primary production until serving.

Food safety Is defined as general conditions, which must be fulfilled (particularly concerning: applied additives and flavours, levels of pollutant substances, pesticide residue or organoleptic features) and measures which must be undertaken at all stages of food manufacturing to secure human health and life.

Food safety is one of the crucial issues of public health protection.

Food Quality Assurance Systems One can speak about the proper quality of food products if standards ensuring the observance of hygienic requirements and parameters of unit operations and processes have been applied. In food manufacturing process regulations are a part of quality management systems.

Food Quality Assurance Systems Their scope covers application in the manufacturing process of appropriate techniques ensuring reduction of biological, chemical and physical hazards, which may occur in food.

Joint food quality assurance systems must be preceded by implementing Good Practice (GP) rules, to which: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Hygiene practice (GHP) are counted.

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Is a variety of activities which should be carried out and conditions which must be fulfilled to assure that the production process of food products and materials, and products designed to contact with food was carried out in the way ensuring proper food quality, according to its designation.

Good Hygienic Practice (GHP) Determines all measures which must be undertaken, and hygienic conditions which must be fulfilled and controlled at all stages of production or turnover in order to assure food safety according to its designation. GHP arranges all hygienic issues of an enterprise.

Although an average person associates the notion of hygiene with processes of washing and disinfection and with employees’ personal hygiene, in fact it is a far wider concept including several areas, which are strictly integrated and focused at achieving a single aim, i.e. food safety (ryc. 2)

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Is a procedure aiming to assure food safety through identification and assessment of scope of risks from the perspective of food health requirements and risk of hazards during all stages of food production and distribution. The system also aims to determine the methods of elimination or reduction of hazards and establishing the correction measures.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Each manufacturer, who conducts activities involving food production, direct contact with food, food packaging, food product transport and/or selling food, is obliged to implement HACCP system.

ISO 9000/22000 standard The enterprise which reliably developed the documentation, implemented and have applied HACCP rules, realize the advantages of this method and no longer perceives the system as a tiresome documentation or organizational burden. Moreover, while verifying HACCP system they start seeking the ways to upgrade and widen it.

A new ISO standard entitled: “Food Safety Management Systems. Requirements that applies to all organizations in the food chain” [PN-EN ISO 22000:2005].

The standard was prepared in such a way that it may be used in each food plant, irrespective of its size and position in the food chain. It combines the elements of Quality Management System (ISO standards, series 9000:2001) and HACCP system (Codex Alimentarius, 2003).

Certificates of quality systems are necessary for firms which offer their services and products on international market.

Good quality of food products also guarantees regular customers and is the way for a steady development. Many customers think that enterprises possessing a quality system may be trusted. It may be one of the reasons for which it is worth to introduce such system.