Food Safety and Hazard Analysis Quiz

HACCP Principles

• HACCP is a preventative approach to ensure consistently safe food products
• Key steps are controlled (critical control points) to eliminate or reduce the risk of hazards
• Documentation proves the system's effectiveness
• HACCP, combined with prerequisite plans, forms the basis for successful quality assurance systems in food processing
• The main goal is to guarantee food safety for consumption
• Monitoring and verification are crucial for HACCP program compliance
• Establishments must have systems in place for monitoring and controlling the program, maintaining records to demonstrate due diligence

HACCP Importance

• Systematic and scientific approach to prevent foodborne outbreaks
• Proactive approach focusing on critical food safety issues
• Integration with other systems (ISO, TQM, 5S)
• Internationally recognized standard
• Demonstrates management commitment to food safety issues
• Addresses pressures from governments, customers, markets, and media regarding export requirements

Codex HACCP Principles

• Identify hazards and preventive measures: Analyze potential hazards
• Identify critical control points (CCPs): Identify points where hazards can be controlled
• Establish critical limits: Set thresholds for safe operation at each CCP
• Establish CCP monitoring requirements: Develop methods for constant monitoring at CCPs
• Establish corrective actions: Define procedures for dealing with deviations from critical limits
• Establish verification procedures: Create a routine system for validating HACCP system effectiveness
• Establish documentation and records: Maintain comprehensive records of all elements

HACCP Pre-requisites (GMP)

• GMP elements are based on MS1514:2009
• First element: Design and Facilities
• Second element: Control of Operation
• Third element: Maintenance, Cleaning, and Sanitation
• Fourth element: Personal Hygiene
• Fifth element: Transportation and Distribution
• Sixth element: Product Information
• Seventh element: Training
• Eighth element: Internal Inspection
• Ninth element: Management Review
• Tenth element: Legal Requirements

HACCP Definitions

• Hazard: Any biological, chemical, or physical property that poses an unacceptable health risk to consumers
• Risk: The likelihood of a hazard occurring
• Severity of risk: The seriousness of a hazard if not controlled (e.g., metal fragment vs. botulinum toxin)
• Critical control point (CCP): Specific point in a process where control can eliminate or reduce hazard risk to an acceptable level

What is a Hazard?

• Biological: Bacteria, viruses, parasites
• Chemical: Natural toxins, contaminants (pollutants, pesticides, sanitizers)
• Physical: Glass, stones, metal
• Not hazards: Hair, filth, spoilage (no injury or illness to consumer)
• Foods are categorized by potential hazards

HACCP Study Requirements

• Trained multidisciplinary HACCP Team (typically 4-6 experienced personnel) including Production, Engineering, QA/QC, and Technical experts.
• Product knowledge (ingredient sensitivity, recipe/intrinsic control factors, process, packaging/finished product state, consumer target)
• Realistic planning and time considerations

What is a HACCP Plan?

• Formal document detailing food safety management for a specific product or process.
• Includes Process Flow Diagrams, HACCP Plan Summaries, and supporting documentation
• Prepared according to HACCP principles
• Focuses on controlling significant food safety hazards

Seven HACCP Principles

• Conduct hazard analysis for each product
• Identify critical control points (CCPs)
• Establish critical limits
• Establish CCP monitoring requirements
• Establish corrective actions for exceeding critical limits
• Establish HACCP verification procedures
• Establish effective record keeping

Twelve Steps to Implement HACCP

• Assemble HACCP team
• Describe product
• Identify intended use
• Construct process flow diagram and plant schematic
• Verify flow diagram and plant schematic
• List hazards associated with each step
• Apply HACCP decision tree to determine CCP
• Establish critical limits at each CCP
• Establish CCP monitoring procedures
• Establish procedures for deviations from CCP limits
• Establish verification procedures
• Establish recordkeeping/documentation

Solid Foundation Required

• Management commitment
• HACCP training for all employees
• HACCP team assembly and initial tasks (product description, risks related to consumer groups/immunity, product flow diagram development and verification)

HACCP Team: Selection & Duties

• Team with various specializations (maintenance, QC, production, cleaning/sanitation)
• Well-trained leader with scientific background, motivational skills, and teamwork abilities
• Access to reliable technical information
• Duties include plan development, verification, and ongoing revision

Why the Team Approach?

• No single person is an expert on all processing operations and hazards.
• Team approach minimizes risk and ensures nothing is overlooked.
• Teams encourage ownership of the HACCP plan

Product Description, Intended Consumer

• Product description (materials, sensitive ingredients, rework)
• Identify intended use and consumers

Process Flow Diagram

• Raw materials
• Process activities
• Packaging

Validating a Process Flow Chart

• Ensures accuracy of process representation at all times
• Requires on-site audit, verification of the chart

Hazard Analysis Worksheet

• Identify raw materials and process steps
• List potential hazards and sources
• Assess significance of hazard
• Identify preventive measures
• Determine if CCP or not
• Examples of hazards

What Are Hazards?

• A biological, chemical, or physical agent or condition of food that can cause adverse health effects

Type of Hazards

• Microbiological: Pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, molds, algae, protozoa, parasites.
• Chemical: Pesticides, heavy metals, natural toxins, additives, lubricants.
• Physical: Sharp objects, hard objects that may injure or damage teeth, or that may block airways

Pathogenic Bacteria Considerations

• React in different ways to intrinsic control factors (e.g., pH, aw)
• Some resistant to high heat
• Some grow at low temperatures
• Some form toxins in food
• Some have a low infective dose

Other Microbiological Hazards

• Parasites/Protozoa: Water, meat -Cryptosporidium, Giardia
• Viruses: Shellfish, food handlers -SRSV, Hepatitis
• Algae: Shellfish, water -Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
• Fungi: Crops, nuts, dried ingredients -Mycotoxin (Chemical)

Chemical Hazard Examples

• Raw materials: Pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, natural toxins, microbial toxins, allergens, antibiotics, hormone residues
• Process contaminants: Cleaning agents, lubricants, refrigerants, pest control chemicals, microbial toxins, allergens, fumes
• Packaging: Plasticisers, additives, inks, adhesives, metals

Control of Chemical Hazards

• Use approved and legal chemicals (sanitizers, detergents, etc.)
• Use safe levels
• Obtain letters of guarantee & vendor certification
• Follow proper procedures and rinsing
• Control the storage of feed containing chemicals
• Store and label ingredients and raw materials appropriately

Physical Hazards- Definition

• Sharp objects (injury)
• Hard objects (dental damage)
• Objects that may block airways (choking)

How to Control Physical Hazards

• Separate and remove objects (filtration/sieving, water baths)
• Use metal detectors
• Employ good employee practices (jewelry control)
• Ensure good sanitation and quality control programs

Principle 1: Hazard Analysis

• Hazard analysis: Identify steps in the process where significant hazards may occur.
• Estimate risk and severity of hazards
• Use epidemiological data and technical experiences
• Seek outside assistance if needed
• Brainstorming can be a useful tool
• Preventative measures must be identified to reduce hazard probability

What is The Risk

• The likelihood of the hazard occurring
• HACCP aims to control any hazard reasonably expected to occur

Two-Dimensional Health Risk Assessment Model (ILSI)

• A tool for evaluating risk using a likelihood of occurrence and severity of consequences matrix.
• The grid classifies hazards as: Satisfactory, Minor, Major, or Critical

Significance Of Hazards

• Minor & Negligible: No further action required
• Major & Critical: Further action required, including CCP identification

Hazard Analysis Chart for Raw Material

• Step 1: Identify the raw material / or packaging material.
• Step 3: Determine if the presence of a hazard is probable
• Step 4: Determine if an unacceptable level of hazard is probable
• Step 5: Determine if a reduction at another process step is adequate to reduce the hazard risk to an acceptable level

Hazard Analysis Chart for Process Steps

• Step 2: Identify the process step.
• Step 3: State either biological, chemical, or physical.
• Step 4: Rationale for the hazard being included. (e.g. rationale for the exclusion or inclusion of a hazard, etc)

Process Step Decision Tree

• Identify preventive measures already implemented for identified hazard
• Check if specific measures are in place to eliminate/reduce hazard risks.
• Check if hazard can increase and if steps can eliminate hazards.
• Determine if there is a need for a subsequent or additional step to eliminate the hazard or reduced to an acceptable level

Documenting Team Decisions

• Documenting team decisions to ensure evidence is readily available

Principle 5: Corrective Actions

• Planned actions when a CCP deviates from established critical limits.
• Protocols and command structure are essential.
• Examples include: adding more corrective ingredients, returning to controlled temperature, or discarding impacted product

Principle 6: Verification

• Actions to verify that measuring devices and processes are accurate
• Examples are reviewing records and calibrating monitoring devices

Principle 7: Record Keeping

• HACCP plan and support documentation
• Data from monitored CCPs, storage and distribution records
• Deviation reports
• Systematic record-keeping system

Validation Of The HACCP Plan

• Obtaining evidence of the HACCP plan's effectiveness

HACCP Summary Plan

• A template for summarizing and cataloging all HACCP information, organized by product name

CCP Decision Tree Table for IQF Shrimp

CCP Log Sheet