Hygiene management (HACCP)
Since 1996 a new abbreviation started to pop up, caused by a new EC Directive for the Food Industry. It is HACCP and it stands for Hazard Analyses and Critical Control Points. HACCP is not a brand new issue. For decades companies already work within the guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practise (GMP*), which is a standard that leads to quality by controlling the process. HACCP is a tool to get to GMP*, a better quality and product [food] safety, it offers a system of checking potential hazards by performing a formal risk assessment and take measures to stay within acceptable criteria. HACCP is ISO-like, some companies integrate it with ISO.Packaging suppliers will be confronted more and more with HACCP in future because cleanliness is a major item among their customers. There are three types of cleanliness to be distinguished:
Microbiological: Bacterial contamination, which can be neutralised by washing, cooking or sterilising
Chemical: Residue of detergents or lubricants
Physical/ mechanical: Plastic bits, swarve and dust
Going through all the stages of HACCP will finally result in a survey of all the controllable ingredients, product compositions, processes, and process points to reduce the risk involved with production and handling concerning national health to an acceptable low level. It involves all departments within a company. The nature of this process can be compared with ISO: after the analysis and the set-up of a control system it should also be audited on a yearly basis to maintain its quality.
Legally speaking we have no obligation to start HACCP. According to regulation only food producers have the obligation to perform HACCP: a company that works up primary food products in a production process to a new food product is considered a food producer. However we do have customers who demand a certain level of cleanliness and we wish to meet their demand. That is why we have decided to take this one step further and set-up a Hygiene Management System [HMS]. The Hygiene management system is now part of our integral quality management system and as such subject to audits by Lloyd's. We have acquired an HACCP certificate.
