HACCP CERTIFICATION COURSE

To prevent foodborne diseases and ensure the health safety and welfare of the community, establishing the HACCP System is unavoidable. The system includes taking responsibility for the adverse effect of foodborne disease on trade and tourism, loss of productivity and litigation and unemployment. That’s why to practice a sound food business, attaining HACCP Certification through a HACCP Certification Course is crucial.

What is HACCP Certification?

HACCP or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is a tool that helps to identify if there’s any food safety hazard occurs in the food business. So when your food business attains HACCP certificate, it basically states that your food business maintains food safety in accordance with HACCP.

A HACCP Certification is a system that acknowledges the development, documentation and implementing procedures in accordance with HACCP of a food-producing company. This is a certificate granted by the external certification authority with the necessary qualifications and skills to provide this service.

HACCP Certification Course/Training: 

HACCP Certification must be acquired from a reputable HACCP Certification course provider by going through an assessment of food safety and HACCP procedures and policies. This audit must be taken by a competent and qualified third party of the food auditor.

The audit or the HACCP Certification course also involves on-site inspection of quality food business practices and review of company documentation and records.

Job Opportunities for HACCP : 

As HACCP is a preventive system for food safety and quality, career opportunities in this field are mainly concerning the managing of food quality throughout the food chain from primary production to the point of consumption. If you have the HACCP Certification course you can apply for fields that cover:

• Quality Control and Food Safety Specialist
• Auditor of Food Safety
• Director of Food Safety Compliance
• Food Safety and Quality Assurance Technician/Specialist
• Food Safety Coordinator
• HACCP Superintendent
• Quality Analyst
• production/Distribution Manager

What are the key principles of HACCP?

The HACCP system establishes food safety management by controlling critical points in food handling. This system identifies the hazards in all steps of the food process and takes preventives measures to ensure food safety and quality. This system is comprised of seven principles. They are:

HACCP Principle 1 – Hazard Analysis:

Identify the physical, chemical, microbiological and allergen hazards that may occur at all stages of food manufacturing, including growth, processing, distribution, and consumption. Regularity, allergen cross-contamination, quality hazard are also considered by Hazard Analysis.

HA also covers:

• The severity or the consequences of the adverse health effect
• Evaluation of the presence of hazards
• Cross-contamination of chemical, physical or toxin agents
• Survival of microorganism

HACCP Principle 2 – Determination of CCPs:

Identify the procedural and operational steps that can be controlled to minimize or eliminate the hazard or likelihood of the occurrence. That’s why this principle is known as critical control points (CCPS).

All hazards identified and categorized at HA principle are reconsidered during principle 2 to decide whether hazards at any particular step are deemed as significant. During principle 2 it is decided whether the step is a Critical Control Points (CCP), Regular Control Points (RCP) or Quality Control Points (QCP).

HACCP Principle 3 – CCP Critical Limits:

CCP Critical Limits establishes the Critical Control Points (CCP). This principle helps to separate between acceptability and unacceptability. CCP Critical Limits includes:

• Legislative demand
• Establishes food safety principles
• Set time to take corrective actions before the principle is breached
• Establishes the tolerance of monitoring equipment

HACCP Principle 4 – CCP Monitoring:

This system monitors the control limits of CCP by observation or scheduled testing. This principle monitors the sequence of measurements or observations of CCP Control Limits. This includes:

• Detects the loss of control at CCP
• Provides information to regain control of the process
• Segregates and rejects defective products before dispatch
• Maintains the specification or procedures
• Keeps records of action limits and critical limits and the results of monitoring activity
• Ensures that the CCP is under control

HACCP Principle 5 – Corrective Actions:

This principle establishes the corrective action when CCP is breached or not under control. This principle indicates the breach of CCP Control Limits and monitors the trend towards the loss of control. This includes:

• Re-establishment of control before the deviation of CCP Control Limits
• Liability for corrective action when Critical Limits and Action Limits are breached
• Identify the defective products after the breach of CCP Control Limits
• Disposal of the defective products

HACCP Principle 6 – HACCP Plan Verification:

Ensures the effectivity of the HACCP system by verifying the supplementary tests and procedures. This principle verifies the corrective actions to achieve the desired result. This principle is based on:

• Maintains the CCPs, QCPs, and RCPs control
• Establishes the frequency of microbiological and chemical testing
• Determines the risk of nature of products and processes
• Performs microbiological and sensory testing to validate shelf-life
• Defines the methods, responsibility and the frequency of assessment
• Reviewing customer complaints, withdrawal relating to food safety and quality, internal incidents and non-conforming product records
• Monitoring of internal audits of CCPs

HACCP Principle 7 – Documentation & Record Keeping:

Covers all documentation concerning procedures and records food safety, quality and legality. This principle demonstrates the principle of HACCP through documentation and record-keeping and ensures that the HACCP system is correctly applied when needed. This includes keeping the records of,

• Customer requirements, HACCP plan, HACCP training records, objectives, regularity, and scope
• Competency evaluation of operators, supervisors, and managers
• Development of team meetings
• Product description
• Flowchart of process
• Critical Limit, Action Limit, CCP determination, and validation
• Corrective action procedures concerning CCP
• Verification schedule and modification records

HACCP Certification is a common condition of trade. Different food business or food manufacturers acquire this certificate for different reasons. In some countries, attaining HACCP Certification is considered a legal requirement before running a food business.

HACCP certification ensures the public that all potential food safety measures are taken and all food safety risks are covered. The successful application of the HACCP system enhances food safety and other benefits and increases the effective use of resources and ensures the responding to food safety problems in time. The certificate also promotes the buyer confidence in food safety and increase the opportunities of international trading.