This lesson is an effective training solution for operators in food manufacturing and distribution facilities who follow Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) or FDA Food Safety Plans (FSPs). This training will also be appropriate for the supervisors who work on the floor and ensure the food safety system is followed.

Because each product in a food manufacturing facility has its own specific HACCP plan, HSI’s training will not make a learner proficient in performing their work responsibilities; job-specific (product-specific, line-specific) training will be required for each operator. Instead, it will familiarize students with basic concepts about food safety and accelerate student comprehension of the job-specific training their facility provides.

This course will:

• Create or renew awareness of food safety hazards
• Introduce fundamental components of HACCP or similar food safety system
• Increase understanding of governmental compliance
  
• Focus operators on protecting products
  

The HACCP management system is based on preventing food safety problems. This is accomplished by using technical and scientific principles to analyze food hazards. When the food hazards have been analyzed and identified, specific written procedures are established to prevent those hazards from causing foodborne illness or injury. The principles of HACCP can be applied throughout the food chain from farm to table.

The HACCP concept covers all types of potential food safety hazards that may affect a food product. This includes biological, chemical, and physical hazards that can be naturally occurring in the food, contributed by the environment, or generated by a mistake in the manufacturing process.

In its current form, HACCP is the best food safety management system to prevent problems that could lead to foodborne illness or injury. The FDA and the USDA now require many food processors, including juice, seafood, meat, and poultry, to use the HACCP system or a HACCP-based system, such as FDA Food Safety Plans, to identify and control potential food safety hazards. FDA food safety plans (FSPs) are required by the FDA in all other food and beverage production facilities. FSPs follow HACCP’s principles closely, but some components are enhanced. HACCP is endorsed by many countries and international agencies, and is recognized internationally as the most appropriate system for controlling food safety.

HACCP Principles and FDA FSP Components:

1. Conduct a Hazard Analysis
2. Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs) or Preventive Controls
3. Determine Critical Limits for Each CCP or Preventive Control
4. Establish CCP Monitoring or Preventive Control Monitoring
5. Implement Corrective Actions
6. Establish Recordkeeping Procedures
7. Establish Procedures for Verifying the System is Working
8. Write and Follow a Recall Plan (FDA FSPs Only)