Food Hygiene, Food Safety and HACCP Courses

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is the systematic preventative approach to food hygiene and food safety. It addresses physical, chemical, and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection.

This approach has significant benefits to organisations operating within the food supply chain as it enables them to determine key controls over processes and concentrate resources on activities that are critical to ensuring safe food.

Retailers, the food industry and Government in particular are concerned about ensuring that food is produced safely and that the consumer has confidence in the product. This has led to an increase in legislation over time that has focussed upon ensuring safe systems of food production. In the UK the 1995 Food Safety Amendment Regulations, for the first time required manufacturers and providers to adopt HACCP to ensure food hygiene and safety.

Who is HACCP applicable to?

HACCP can be used by any organization directly or indirectly involved in the food chain and pharmaceutical industry including:

• Farms, fisheries and dairies
• Processors of meats, fish and feed
• Manufacturers of bread and cereals, beverages, canned and frozen food
• Food service providers such as restaurants, fast food chains, hospitals and hotels and mobile caterers
• Manufacturers of prescription and non-prescription drugs and remedies

The immediate benefits of approval include:

• Improved food safety and increased business awareness of food risks
• Greater product and raw ingredient traceability
• Increased buyer and consumer confidence; Reduction in complaints and reduced risk of negative publicity
• Consistency in inspection criteria
• Promotion of internal review of processes
• Supports business leadership through the direction of resources to safety critical elements of the process
• Compliance with food law
• Improved responsiveness to problems through devised corrective action