Food Industry and HACCP
Food safety legislation establishes the objectives and requirements for producing safe food. It is within food establishments that these requirements have to be translated into everyday practice.
Food Control Consultants Ltd (FCC) works with food businesses, competent authorities and development programmes to assess and improve food establishments handling food of animal origin, combining detailed knowledge of regulatory requirements with practical experience of food production, hygiene, inspection and auditing.
Our work ranges from assessment of premises and production processes to the development of Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), prerequisite programmes and HACCP-based food safety systems.
From Regulatory Requirements to Practical Controls
Compliance is not achieved simply by having legislation, procedures or a HACCP manual. Food safety requirements must be incorporated into the design and operation of the establishment, the organisation of production, staff practices and the controls applied throughout the process.
FCC assists establishments in translating regulatory requirements into workable systems covering areas such as:
- premises, layout and product flow;
- construction, installations and equipment;
- maintenance and cleaning;
- personal and operational hygiene;
- water and utilities, including distribution network;
- temperature control and cold chains;
- pest control, active and passive;
- raw-material and supplier controls;
- prevention of cross-contamination;
- waste and by-product management;
- traceability and recall;
- staff training and supervision;
- documentation and record keeping; and
- monitoring, verification and corrective action.
The objective is to develop controls that are effective in practice, appropriate to the operation and capable of demonstrating compliance.
HACCP and Food Safety Management
HACCP provides a systematic method for identifying, evaluating and controlling significant food-safety hazards. FCC can assist businesses with the development, assessment and improvement of HACCP-based systems if applicable, including:
- description of products and processes;
- preparation and verification of process-flow diagrams;
- hazard identification and analysis;
- identification of appropriate control measures;
- determination of Critical Control Points where applicable;
- establishment of critical limits and monitoring procedures;
- corrective actions;
- verification and validation;
- documentation and records; and
- review and updating of the system.
Particular emphasis is placed on ensuring that HACCP is based on already implemented prerequisite programmes and reflects what actually happens in the establishment, rather than existing primarily as documentation prepared for an audit.
Slaughterhouses and Meat Production
FCC has extensive experience with establishments involved in slaughter and the production and processing of meat.
This includes e.g.:
- slaughterhouses;
- cutting and deboning plants;
- meat-processing establishments;
- minced meat and meat preparations;
- cooked and processed meat products;
- sausages and fermented products;
- cured and dried meats;
- pâtés, pies and other composite meat products;
- cold stores and distribution facilities.
Work may include establishment assessment, hygiene and process controls, HACCP, traceability, structural and equipment requirements, corrective-action programmes and preparation for approval or official audit.
In slaughterhouses, food-business controls must also operate effectively alongside official veterinary controls, animal welfare requirements, ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection and animal-health information.
Fish, Fishery Products and Aquaculture
FCC works with businesses and authorities involved throughout the fish and fishery-product chain, including aquaculture, landing and handling, processing, cold storage and distribution.
Relevant controls may include:
- hygiene and temperature management;
- handling of fresh and frozen products;
- processing and preservation;
- microbiological and chemical hazards;
- HACCP;
- traceability;
- water and ice;
- cleaning and sanitation;
- cold-chain management; and
- compliance with requirements for domestic and export markets.
This work links closely with FCC’s expertise in aquatic animal health, official controls and international market access.
Milk and Dairy Products
FCC’s experience also includes milk production and dairy-processing establishments.
Food-safety controls may extend from hygiene at primary production and collection of raw milk through transport and processing to the manufacture, storage and distribution of dairy products.
Assessment can cover premises and equipment, raw-material controls, pasteurisation and other processing steps, temperature control, cleaning and disinfection, microbiological controls, HACCP, traceability and product handling.
Establishment Assessment and Corrective Action
FCC can undertake comprehensive assessments of establishments against applicable legal, hygiene and food-safety requirements.
Where deficiencies are identified, the objective is not simply to produce a list of non-compliances. FCC works with management to identify practical and proportionate corrective measures.
This may involve changes to procedures and production practices, staff training, improved documentation, modification of equipment or workflow, or structural improvements where necessary. Corrective actions can be prioritised according to the level of food-safety risk and regulatory importance.
Approval and Preparation for Export Markets
Food establishments supplying regulated international markets may need to demonstrate compliance with requirements which differ from those applying to their domestic market. FCC has particular experience assisting establishments and competent authorities with requirements for the export of food of animal origin to the European Union.
Support may include:
- gap assessment against applicable requirements;
- establishment and process assessment;
- HACCP and prerequisite programmes;
- traceability;
- corrective-action planning;
- documentation;
- internal verification;
- preparation for competent-authority approval; and
- preparation for international audits and assessments.
Establishment compliance forms part of the wider national system required for international market access and therefore needs to operate effectively alongside the competent authority and official-control system.
Veterinary Border Control Facilities
FCC’s practical establishment experience also extends to veterinary border control facilities handling consignments of animals and products of animal origin.
Such facilities require appropriate design, equipment, hygiene arrangements, product flows, storage, sampling and inspection facilities, procedures and documentation to enable official controls to be carried out effectively and safely.
FCC can assist with assessment of existing facilities, development of operational requirements and advice on new or upgraded facilities.
Training and Implementation
Even a well-designed food-safety system depends on the people responsible for implementing it. FCC therefore places considerable emphasis on practical training and capacity building for managers, supervisors, food handlers, HACCP teams, inspectors and other personnel.
Training can be integrated with establishment assessment and system development so that personnel understand not only what they are required to do, but why the controls are necessary and how they contribute to food safety.
Making Food Safety Work in Practice
The effectiveness of a regulatory system is ultimately determined by what happens during everyday production. FCC brings together knowledge of legislation, official controls and practical food production to help establishments convert regulatory requirements into effective operational controls.
Our approach can cover the complete process:
Assess → Identify Hazards and Gaps → Develop Controls → Implement → Train → Verify → Improve
The aim is not simply to achieve compliance at the time of an inspection or audit, but to establish systems capable of maintaining safe production and continuous compliance.
Contact FCC
Contact Food Control Consultants Ltd to discuss assistance with food-establishment assessment, GHP/GMP, prerequisite programmes, HACCP, corrective-action programmes, establishment upgrading or preparation for regulatory and export-market requirements.