Self-control: the HACCP system and traceability
What HACCP is
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points is the self-control system that Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires from every food business. It consists of analysing which hazards can appear at each stage of the work, deciding at which points they can be controlled and checking that they are. In small establishments it can be applied in a simplified way through guides to good hygiene practice.
The prerequisites
Before HACCP, the basics must be in place: drinking water, a cleaning and disinfection plan, pest control, staff training, supplier control, traceability, maintenance of premises and equipment, and waste management.
The seven principles
- Identify the hazards at each stage.
- Determine the critical control points (CCPs): stages where control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard (for example, the cooking temperature or the fridge temperature).
- Set critical limits (for example, “the centre of the product reaches 70 °C”).
- Monitor the CCPs (measure, observe, record).
- Establish corrective actions for when a limit is exceeded.
- Verify that the system works.
- Document everything: records of temperatures, cleaning, suppliers, training, incidents.
Traceability
It is the ability to follow a food one step back (who it came from) and one step forward (who it was sold to). It makes it possible to withdraw a product quickly if there is a problem. It is achieved by keeping delivery notes and labels with the batch number, and noting which customer is served in the case of distribution.