HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
The main objective of HACCP is to eliminate or substantially reduce the hazards to food safety. It is an internationally recognized technique to control biological, chemical or physical hazards.
The process behind HACCP is to check the food product in all stages of production, and not only at the end i.e the finished product inspection. It is aimed at detection of food hazards before the final production, instead of evaluating it at the end.
HACCP could be applied to Agriculture, Food Processing, Catering, Storage and Distribution. The HACCP techniques are widely accepted by the meat and seafood industry in more than 150 countries.
The HACCP System has two different sets to implement: the Prerequisite Programs and the HACCP Plans. The Prerequisite Program ensures that the production facility should have a hygienic environment that reduces the risk of food contamination. The HACCP Plan is prepared for each product separately, and defines the process that identifies and control possible hazards during production.