and to identify and assess hazardous behaviour, which should be the focus of health education interventions The HACCP concept can also be used in the management of overall food safety programmes to identify those problems all along the food chain which are of greatest risk to public health, and in order to prioritize interventions The additional benefits of the HACCP system can be summarized as follows The HACCP system overcomes many of the limitations of the traditional approaches to food safety control (generally based on snap-shot inspection and end-product testing), including a. the difficulty of collecting examining sufficient samples to obtain meaningful, representative information, in a timely manner and without the high cost of end-product analysis b. reducing the potential for product recall C. identification of problems without understanding the causes d. limitations of 'snap-shot inspection techniques in predicting potential food ety prob The HACCP system allows for the identification of conceivable, reasonably expected hazards, even where failures have not previously been experienced. It is therefore particularly useful for new operations The HACCP system is sufficiently flexible to accommodate changes introduced such as progress in equipment design, improvements in processing procedures and technological developments related to the product The HACCP system will help target/direct resources to the most critical part of the food operation With the HACCP system one can expect an improvement in the relationship between a)food processors and food inspectors, and b)food processors and consumers. The HACCP system provides a scientifically-sound basis for demonstrating that all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent a hazard from reaching the consumer. In this way, it encourages confidence in the safety of food products and thus promotes both confidence in the food industry and stability of food businesses. Data collected facilitates the work of food inspectors for auditing purposes The HACCP system is applicable to the whole food chain, from the raw material to the end-product, i.e. growing, harvesting, processing or manufacturing, transport and distribution, preparation and consumption The application of HACCP systems can promote international trade by increasing confidence in food safety The HACCP system can be readily integrated into quality management systems e.g. Total Quality Management, ISo 9000, etc 4. International status of the HACCP system and recent developments in its conceptand to identify and assess hazardous behaviour, which should be the focus of health education interventions. - The HACCP concept can also be used in the management of overall food safety programmes to identify those problems all along the food chain which are of greatest risk to public health, and in order to prioritize interventions. The additional benefits of the HACCP system can be summarized as follows: · The HACCP system overcomes many of the limitations of the traditional approaches to food safety control (generally based on `snap-shot' inspection and end-product testing), including a. the difficulty of collecting and examining sufficient samples to obtain meaningful, representative information, in a timely manner and without the high cost of end-product analysis b. reducing the potential for product recall c. identification of problems without understanding the causes d. limitations of 'snap-shot' inspection techniques in predicting potential food safety problems · The HACCP system allows for the identification of conceivable, reasonably expected hazards, even where failures have not previously been experienced. It is therefore particularly useful for new operations. · The HACCP system is sufficiently flexible to accommodate changes introduced, such as progress in equipment design, improvements in processing procedures and technological developments related to the product. · The HACCP system will help target/direct resources to the most critical part of the food operation. · With the HACCP system one can expect an improvement in the relationship between a) food processors and food inspectors, and b) food processors and consumers. The HACCP system provides a scientifically-sound basis for demonstrating that all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent a hazard from reaching the consumer. In this way, it encourages confidence in the safety of food products and thus promotes both confidence in the food industry and stability of food businesses. · Data collected facilitates the work of food inspectors for auditing purposes. · The HACCP system is applicable to the whole food chain, from the raw material to the end-product, i.e. growing, harvesting, processing or manufacturing, transport and distribution, preparation and consumption. · The application of HACCP systems can promote international trade by increasing confidence in food safety. · The HACCP system can be readily integrated into quality management systems, e.g. Total Quality Management, ISO 9000, etc. 4. International status of the HACCP system and recent developments in its concept