What is HACCP?
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, or HACCP, is a systematic approach to food safety within a facility; it focuses on the prevention of biological, physical, and chemical risks by establishing checkpoints at risk-related areas throughout a facility. For example, one might test a fruit processing plantÕs rinsing water at regular intervals to ensure that bacteria is kept below minimum allowance level.
Hollow core is a broccoli quality problem caused by rapid growth, usually when warm weather follows rain. This cosmetic defect occurs when the outer layers of the stalk grow faster than the middle layers, creating a cavity in the center of the stalk.
Hollow heart indicates an open cavity in the center of a potato that turns brown in more severe cases. Its cause is debated: some report it is a physiological disorder caused by not properly rotating fields (planting the same crop in the same lot for multiple growing cycles); others report it is caused by irregular or excessive watering (accelerated by late season rains). Packing sheds use ultrasonic machinery to scan and cull out potatoes with excessive hollow heart. A certain amount of hollow heart is allowed as per USDA Good Delivery Guidelines.