HACCP is necessary for the food industry from production to preparation to dispatch. Find out about HACCP here and why it is a vital part of food safety.
Did you know that every year in New Zealand there are around 10,0000 reports of food-related illnesses and these are only the reported cases? Many don’t report their symptoms even if they suspect they are feeling ill due to something they ate. It is estimated that the actual number of food-related illnesses is more around the 300,000 mark.
Of course with such alarming statistics, it is little wonder that the New Zealand Food Safety Authority is serious in its endeavour to making improvements in the food industry by looking at ways they can continue to improve the food safety standards here in New Zealand.
How safe is your food?
It is not just about ensuring that the food we buy off the shelf at the supermarket is fit for consumption. Most of us assume when we are doing our grocery shopping that the food we are buying is safe to eat, as we certainly should.
But care also needs to be taken throughout the entire food production and preparation process so that we don’t get ill through some sort of microbial contaminant.
To ensure consistency in food safety there are certain rules that everyone involved in the food industry has to follow. As well as complying with the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974, many businesses in the food industry register for a Food Safety Programme (FSP) which allows them to not only follow the Food Hygiene Regulations, it also helps them to address certain food production hazards that remaining uncontrolled would put their customers at risk and most assuredly, jeopardise their business.
Put simply, an FSP gets the right questions answered, questions like:
“What could go wrong?”
“How can I ensure that it doesn’t go wrong?”
In identifying the answer to these questions, a set procedure is developed by undertaking a thorough examination of all the processes involved in food production and preparation. This allows businesses in the food industry to identify and control the potential hazards that might make the food they are producing harmful to consume.
What is the meaning of HACCP?
Most businesses in the food industry either develop an FSP from a code of practice or they choose to just start from scratch. The best tool that gives assurance of food safety is the internationally recognised Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.
The reason HACCP is such a good system is because it allows the businesses themselves to deal with their own food safety issues. The business can give answers to important questions about the safety of the food they are producing or handling.
The system helps businesses get a better understanding of what is required to identify and apply key controls to every potential hazard, and keep those controls in place.
How do you overcome food safety hazards?
Of course, there are many different areas where possible hazards to food safety can occur. One of those areas is the premises where food production and preparation takes place. This is where here at Industrial Cleaning Specialists we can add value to any food safety programme.
There are several services where we can apply our expertise and qualifications when it comes to preventing potential hazards. Things like:
- Food hygiene and audit cleaning – we are compliant with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and HACCP Standards
- Food safety cleaning – we can help to make sure that food production companies follow food safety and food hygiene compliance and audit obligations
- Critical hygiene cleaning – we specialise in all aspects of critical hygiene cleaning in the food industry
- Antimicrobial treatments – We are specialists in the critical discipline of correct application of sanitising chemicals and apply MPI approved products from leading suppliers or as specified by the client
- Bird repellents and bird netting – we have a wealth of understanding of the standards required for minimising bird nuisance
- Industrial coatings, rust treatment, commercial painting and polypanel – our water-based antimicrobial coatings are water-based and are VOC (volatile organic compound) free which make them a superb fit for food processing plants
So, as you can see, HACCP plays an important role in many of the services we offer here at Industrial Cleaning Specialists, and we take it very seriously because we want our clients in the food industry to succeed. But more importantly, by helping our clients succeed, we are also helping to promote the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders, and that’s pretty cool.
Contact us here for more information on our services. We are here to help.
