In this series of weekly articles we bring you some very valuable information on HACCP, what to focus on during the week ahead and any local, regional, national or international news that may impact you, your customers or the need to review your food safety management system.
This week, we are starting at the very beginning (As the song says – it’s a very good place to start!)
At the beginning…
In Ireland all Food Business Operators (FBO) must be registered with a competent authority before you start operating, even if you are operating from home.
Competent authorities include the local environmental health office (of the Health Service Executive); the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the Local Authority; or the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority.
Which one you need to register with will depend on the type of business and whether foods of animal origin, for example meat, poultry, fish etc., are handled or processed.
All FBO’s no matter the size or type of business must comply with the relevant Food Hygiene Legislation (Regulation 852/2004/EC),
This legislation sets out rules on food hygiene, both specific rules and more general requirements, including premises layout, temperature control, HACCP, equipment, transport, waste, personal hygiene and training.
Legislation on the general principles of food law (Regulation 178/2002/EC) makes it illegal to place unsafe food on the market. Every FBO and key members of their teams should familiarise themselves with this legislation.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) have produced several guidance documents on the above legislation which you may find helpful. (www.fsai.ie)
If you are a caterer, retailer or wholesaler, we would strongly recommend that you obtain a copy of the relevant standard for your sector as these provide detailed guidance on complying with the general food hygiene legislation
- I.S. 340:2007 – Hygiene in the Catering Sector
- I.S. 341:2007 – Hygiene in Food Retailing and Wholesaling
These are available from the National Standards Authority of Ireland: (www.nsai.ie)
You then need to develop a Food Safety Management System based on HACCP
What is HACCP?
The word HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) confuses many people but, it simply refers to a system you must put in place to ensure the food you produce is safe.
This system is called a food safety management system and must be based on the principles of HACCP.
A food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP will enable hazards to be identified and controlled before they threaten the safety of food and your customers or staff.
The FSAI state that there are 7 principles of HACCP:
These are:
1. Identify the hazards
Look at each step (e.g. purchasing, delivery, storage, preparation, cooking, chilling etc.) in your operation and identify what can go wrong e.g. Salmonella in a cooked chicken product due to cross contamination with raw meat (biological hazard), contamination of uncovered food with detergent(chemical hazard) or a piece of broken glass fallen into an uncovered food (physical hazard).
2. Determine the critical control points (CCPs)
Identify the points in your operation that ensures control of the hazards e.g. cooking raw meat thoroughly will kill pathogens such as E. coli 0157.
3. Establish critical limit(s)
Set limits to enable you to identify when a CCP is out of control e.g. when cooking beef burgers, the centre of the burger must reach a minimum temperature of 75°C (or an equivalent time temperature combination e.g. 70°C for 2 minutes) to ensure pathogens are destroyed.
4. Establish a system to monitor control of the CCP
When CCPs and critical limits have been identified it is important to have a way to monitor and record what is happening at each CCP. Typically monitoring will involve measuring parameters such as temperature and time. However, how you monitor and how often will depend on the size and nature of your business. Monitoring should in all cases be simple, clear and easy to do e.g. probe refrigerated food to ensure that it is being maintained below 5°C.
5. Establish the corrective action to be taken when monitoring indicates that a particular CCP is not under control
When monitoring indicates that a CCP is not under control, corrective action must be taken e.g. the temperature of the food in a refrigerator rises to 10°C due to a technical fault. Discard the food and repair the refrigerator using the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure the correct temperature of 5°C is achieved.
6. Establish procedures for verification to confirm the HACCP system is working effectively
Review and correct the system periodically and whenever you make changes to your operation e.g. when replacing an oven verify that the time/temperature settings in the new oven achieves the minimum safe cooking temperature for a particular dish by probing the food.
7. Establish documentation concerning all procedures and records appropriate to these principles and their application
For the successful implementation of HACCP, appropriate documentation and records must be kept and be readily available. It is unrealistic to operate HACCP or to demonstrate compliance with the current legislation without providing evidence such as written records. As with HACCP itself, the complexity of the record keeping will very much depend on the nature and complexity of the business. The aim should be to ensure control is maintained without generating excessive paperwork.
Action this week: Review your Food Safety Management system and ensure that you comply with the principles of HACCP
Prerequisite Hygiene Requirements
- Before implementing HACCP, basic good hygiene conditions and practices called prerequisites must be in place.
- HACCP can then be used to control steps in the business which are critical in ensuring the preparation of safe food.
- All food businesses are advised to use the appropriate standard for their sector (e.g. catering, retail, processing).
- I.S. 340:2007 – Hygiene in the Catering Sector
- I.S. 341:2007 – Hygiene in Food Retailing and Wholesaling
Prerequisites include where appropriate:
- Cleaning and Sanitation
- Maintenance
- Personnel Hygiene and Training
- Pest Control
- Plant and Equipment
- Premises and Structure
- Services (compressed air, ice, steam, ventilation, water etc.)
- Storage, Distribution and Transport
- Waste Management
- Zoning (physical separation of activities to prevent potential food contamination)
Original source: FSAI website