Instead of waiting for a problem to appear, the law says to prevent it. That is the aim of the HACCP system (hazard analysis and critical control points). Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires operators, after primary production, to put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure based on the HACCP principles.
The seven principles
- Identify the hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level.
- Identify the critical control points (CCPs): the steps at which control is essential.
- Set critical limits at each CCP, which separate the acceptable from the unacceptable.
- Monitor the CCPs with effective procedures (monitoring).
- Define corrective actions for when monitoring shows that a CCP is out of control.
- Verify regularly that all of this works.
- Keep documents and records suited to the nature and size of the business.
Whenever there are changes to the product, the process or any step, the operator reviews the system.
An example
Roast chicken:
- Hazard: bacteria such as Salmonella.
- CCP: cooking.
- Critical limit: above 75 °C in the centre (a value from the Code of Good Practice for Catering).
- Monitoring: measure the temperature with a probe thermometer.
- Corrective action: keep cooking and measure again.
- Record: note the temperature, the time and who measured it.
Good practices and CCPs
Not everything is a CCP. Personal hygiene, cleaning, pest control, training and traceability are prerequisites (good hygiene practices). CCPs are the few points where a mistake cannot be corrected further on, such as cooking.
The food handler's role
- Know the limits for your job (temperatures, times) and measure as set out.
- Record at the time, truthfully. Records filled in from memory or made up are falsification and hide problems.
- Report as soon as something fails: broken equipment, a temperature outside the limit, a suspicious food.
- Follow the corrective action provided for and do not improvise.
Small establishments
The law asks for documents and records suited to the nature and size of the business. Small establishments can rely on good practice guides, such as the Código de Boas Práticas para a Restauração. But they must show the competent authority that they comply, and keep documents up to date and records for an adequate period.
Traceability and withdrawal
- Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (article 18) requires you to know who the food was bought from and who it was supplied to. In practice, delivery notes and invoices are kept and batches are identified.
- If a food is unsafe, the operator withdraws it from the market and informs the authorities (article 19). Traceability makes it possible to act quickly and limit the damage.
Food safety culture
Regulation (EU) 2021/382 amended the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 to deal with allergen management, food redistribution and food safety culture. Food safety culture is the set of attitudes of everyone, from management to the last worker, that put the safety of the food ahead of haste and savings.
What the employer has to do
The establishment's system, its limits and its records are the employer's. This course explains the principles. It does not replace training on the HACCP plan of the workplace, nor the specific training of whoever is responsible for it.
Key points
- HACCP is prevention, with seven principles.
- The food handler measures, records and reports.
- Traceability: who I bought from, who I sold to.
- Unsafe food: withdraw it and inform.