HACCP- An Introduction to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system L Introduction The acronym HACCP, which stands for Hazard analysis and Critical Control Point, is one which evokes food safety. Originally developed to ensure microbiological safety of foodstuffs, HACCP has been broadened to include chemical and physical hazards in foods. The recent growing worldwide concern about food safety by public health authorities, consumers and other concerned parties, and the continuous reports of foodborne outbreaks have been a major impetus in the application of the HACCP system 2. The need for an effective food safety assurance method Food safety has been of concern to humankind since the dawn of history, and many of the problems encountered in our food supply go back to the earliest recorded years Many rules and recommendations advocated in religious or historical texts are evidence of the concern to protect people against foodborne diseases and food adulteration However, in recent decades this concern has grown. There are many reasons for this Foodborne diseases remain one of the most widespread public health problems in the contemporary world, and an important cause of reduced economic productivity, despite progress in food science and technologies. The World Declaration on Nutrition, adopted by the FAONHO International Conference on Nutrition(Rome, December 1992), emphasizes that hundreds of millions of people suffer from communicable and noncommunicable diseases caused by contaminated food and water The increasing incidence of many foodborne diseases, e.g. salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis, in many regions of the world Increased knowledge and awareness of the serious and chronic health effects of foodborne pathogens The possibility of detecting minute amounts of contaminants in food, due to advances in scientific and analytical methods Emerging foodborne pathogens, e.g. Listeria monocytogenes, verocytotoxin producing E coli, Campylobacter spp, foodbone nematodes, etc. An increase in the number of vulnerable people, such as the elderly mmunocompromised individuals, the undernourished, and individuals with other underlying health problems Increased awareness of the economic consequences of foodborne diseases Industrialization and increased mass production, leading to: i)increased risks of food contamination; and ii the considerably larger numbers of people affected in foodborne disease outbreaks as a result Urbanization, leading to a more complex food chain, and thus greater possibilities for food contamination New food technologies and processing methods, causing concern either about the safety of the products themselves or the eventual consequences due toHACCP – An Introduction to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System I. Introduction The acronym HACCP, which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, is one which evokes 'food safety'. Originally developed to ensure microbiological safety of foodstuffs, HACCP has been broadened to include chemical and physical hazards in foods. The recent growing worldwide concern about food safety by public health authorities, consumers and other concerned parties, and the continuous reports of foodborne outbreaks have been a major impetus in the application of the HACCP system. 2. The need for an effective food safety assurance method Food safety has been of concern to humankind since the dawn of history, and many of the problems encountered in our food supply go back to the earliest recorded years. Many rules and recommendations advocated in religious or historical texts are evidence of the concern to protect people against foodborne diseases and food adulteration. However, in recent decades this concern has grown. There are many reasons for this: · Foodborne diseases remain one of the most widespread public health problems in the contemporary world, and an important cause of reduced economic productivity, despite progress in food science and technologies. The World Declaration on Nutrition, adopted by the FAO/WHO International Conference on Nutrition (Rome, December 1992), emphasizes that hundreds of millions of people suffer from communicable and noncommunicable diseases caused by contaminated food and water. · The increasing incidence of many foodborne diseases, e.g. salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis, in many regions of the world. · Increased knowledge and awareness of the serious and chronic health effects of foodborne pathogens. · The possibility of detecting minute amounts of contaminants in food, due to advances in scientific and analytical methods. · Emerging foodborne pathogens, e.g. Listeria monocytogenes, verocytotoxin producing E. coli, Campylobacter spp, foodborne nematodes, etc. · An increase in the number of vulnerable people, such as the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, the undernourished, and individuals with other underlying health problems. · Increased awareness of the economic consequences of foodborne diseases. · Industrialization and increased mass production, leading to: i) increased risks of food contamination; and ii) the considerably larger numbers of people affected in foodborne disease outbreaks as a result. · Urbanization, leading to a more complex food chain, and thus greater possibilities for food contamination. · New food technologies and processing methods, causing concern either about the safety of the products themselves or the eventual consequences due to