HACCP system

What is HACCP?

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is an internationally recognized preventive system for ensuring food safety. It identifies, assesses and controls biological, chemical and physical hazards at every stage, from raw materials through production and distribution to the end consumer.

The HACCP principles are set out in the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene, revised in 2020. HACCP relies on good hygiene and manufacturing practices: only once the basic hygiene conditions are in place can the system control the hazards they do not cover. HACCP is about food safety, not food quality.

Who has to implement HACCP?

Under the Law on Food Safety ("Official Gazette of RS" nos. 41/2009 and 17/2019), HACCP is mandatory for all food business operators except those in primary production. This includes:

• all food production and processing: bakeries, butcher shops, dairies, slaughterhouses, and producers of pastries, juices, beverages and confectionery, fruit and vegetable processing and others,
• production and treatment of drinking water and water used in food production,
• packing and repacking of food products,
• food storage, transport and distribution,
• wholesale and retail trade, from small shops to hypermarkets,
• hospitality, catering and ready-meal delivery,
• public and institutional catering: kitchens in hospitals, kindergartens and schools, and canteens.

Primary producers, such as farms, livestock breeders and fisheries, are not required to implement HACCP, nor are households preparing food for their own use. Primary producers must still comply with the prescribed hygiene requirements.

The 7 HACCP principles

1. Hazard analysis — biological (microorganisms), chemical (toxins, allergens, cleaning agent residues) and physical hazards (metal, glass) are identified and the measures to control them are determined.
2. Determining critical control points (CCPs) — the process flow diagram is used to identify the steps where control must be applied to prevent, eliminate or reduce a hazard to an acceptable level, such as heat treatment, cooling or metal detection.
3. Critical limits — for each critical control point, a limit is set that separates acceptable from unacceptable, for example temperature and time.
4. Monitoring — a method is established for how critical control points are monitored, who does it and how often.
5. Corrective actions — what to do when monitoring shows a point is out of control is defined in advance, including how to handle the product.
6. Verification — checking that the HACCP plan actually works: through record reviews, sampling, laboratory analysis and internal audits.
7. Documentation and records — records are kept of every step as proof that food is produced safely.

HACCP instead of final product testing

Final product testing is reactive: it detects a problem only once the product has been made, it is expensive, slow to deliver results and cannot prevent an incident. HACCP is proactive, because it controls hazards where they arise, at every stage of the process, so problems are prevented rather than detected.

Benefits of a HACCP system

• safer food and a lower risk of foodborne illness,
• compliance with the law and readiness for official inspections,
• product traceability along the entire chain, from raw material to customer,
• employees know what they do, how, when and why, and what they are responsible for,
• fewer complaints and product recalls, and less waste,
• easier access to retail chains and export markets,
• a foundation for later implementing ISO 22000, IFS Food or FSSC 22000.

What implementing HACCP looks like

1. Gap analysis — we review the facility, equipment, processes and existing documentation.
2. Good hygiene and manufacturing practices — we put the prerequisites in order: cleaning and sanitation, pest control, personal hygiene, water, maintenance and supplier management.
3. HACCP team, product description and flow diagrams — we describe products and processes and verify the diagrams on site.
4. Hazard analysis and HACCP plan — we determine hazards, critical control points, limits, monitoring and corrective actions.
5. Training and rollout — we train employees, introduce records and monitor how the system works in practice.
6. Verification — we check the system before an inspection or customer audit and, if you wish, prepare you for voluntary certification.

The timeline depends on the number of products and processes and the condition of the facility, and you receive a detailed plan after the initial analysis.

If you are interested in implementing a HACCP system in your company, you can request a quote or contact us by phone or by email at office@eqsint.com.