What is HACCP?
The Codex Alimentarius, or the food code, has become the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and the international food trade. The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created by FAO of the WHO as a coordinating and decision making body to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts. It describes a step-by-step plan with seven basic principles where guidelines for a HACCP system are applied.
HACCP stands for `'Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points` and is a system that identifies, evaluates and controls hazards which are significant for food safety.
A hazard is a biological, chemical or physical agent in, or condition of food, with the potential to cause an adverse health effect. You can split HACCP in two sections, the HA and the CCP.
HA, or Hazard Analysis, is the process of collecting and evaluating information on hazards and conditions leading to their presence, to decide which are significant for food safety and should therefore be addressed in the HACCP-plan.
CCP, or Critical Control Point, is a step at which it is essential that a specific control measure is applied to prevent or eliminate an identified food safety hazard or reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
At this moment all kinds of food systems for human consumption can be certified with this standard. HACCP is based on requirements of a food safety system.
The current version, issue 5, has incorporated all elements from ISO 22000.
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