5 HACCP myths you need to stop believing

There may be huge quantity of data on the market on the do’s and don’ts of formulating your HACCP plan. Some features have been handed down from technology to technology, some are written in legislation and a few are simply plain previous private misunderstandings. Regardless of the origin, this publish will bust 5 (5) myths that you shouldn’t imagine about HACCP.

Hazard Identification

The most typical HACCP delusion that I see when auditing and marking course assessments is that “You solely have to determine one organic, one chemical and one bodily hazard while you full your hazard evaluation”. That is merely not true. Whenever you learn the Codex HACCP necessities it is rather clear that you’re required to determine all potential hazards. This obligation can also be stipulated in widespread GFSI recognised applications like BRCGS, SQF, FSSC22000.

Grouping Hazards

The subsequent HACCP delusion which can also be associated to figuring out potential hazards is that “It’s okay to group and assess hazards as one”. It is a widespread error made by numerous meals companies and is seen when a enterprise teams after which assesses, the hazard class as one.

The truth is, Codex HACCP has particularly referred to as this out by mandating that “Hazards must be particular, e.g. metallic fragments, and the supply or cause for presence must be described, e.g. metallic from damaged blades after chopping.”

If you happen to select to go down the trail of grouping hazards, please perceive that management measures can considerably differ for hazards inside a bunch or class. For instance, each glass and metallic are categorised as a ‘bodily hazard’. Nevertheless, the best way you’d management potential glass contamination from over-head lights will probably be very completely different to the best way you management metallic from worn or broken utensils.

Validation and Verification

The third HACCP delusion is that “Validation and Verification are the identical factor“. Properly guess what? No, they’re not. Validation is what you do BEFORE, and verification is what you do AFTER. I do know it may be complicated and it doesn’t assist that they begin with the identical letter.

Let me develop on this additional.

Validation – is what we need to do, going to work. Is it going to realize the result that we need and require? An instance of this might be, we are saying that we’re going to prepare dinner a meals to a specific temperature as a result of we need to make it possible for no dangerous micro organism stay. To validate the temperature chosen, we may check with laws, scientific journals or different information that helps the cooking temperature we have now chosen will kill the dangerous micro organism.

However, verification is finest outlined as being the issues we do to see if we have now really performed what we are saying we have been going to do. So, within the above instance, with the temperature to kill the dangerous micro organism, we’d examine or confirm that the meals really reached the set temperature. This could be performed by means of testing the temperature of the meals.

Circulate Course of Charts

The fourth HACCP delusion I’m going to bust right this moment is a basic. I get requested questions on this on a regular basis. “You will need to use conventional circulation chart symbols when documenting your course of flows“. Be mindful we’re not nonetheless within the 90’s with this one. You possibly can doc your circulation course of chart nevertheless you want simply so long as it’s a truthful pictorial illustration of your precise circulation chart.

My publish on growing your HACCP meals security circulation course of charts is a superb start line to see examples and useful circulation chart growth instruments.

Auditor CCPs

HACCP delusion #5 is that “The exterior auditor can outline your CCPs’“. That is so removed from the reality it isn’t humorous! I don’t know what number of instances I’ve been informed by members of the HACCP Mentor neighborhood that the rationale they’ve a sure CCP recognized is as a result of the auditor mentioned that’s what it must be. The one approach that CCPs must be outlined in your corporation is by following the rules of HACCP.

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Take a second to overview your HACCP or meals security plan to see if any of the 5 myths talked about apply to you. You too can share your ideas by leaving a remark under.