HACCP standards

What does HACCP mean?

The abbreviation HACCP stands for “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points” and can be translated into German as “Gefahrenanalyse und kritische Kontrollpunkte”. The underlying concept is aimed at the production and handling of food and offers various tools to avoid and prevent hazards and risks in connection with food.

HACCP certificate

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points concept (HACCP) is a clearly structured tool geared towards preventive measures that is used to avoid hazards in connection with food. As a company operating in the food processing sector, Ebbecke Verfahrenstechnik complies with the HACCP requirements and has acquired a corresponding certificate. Such a HACCP certificate is relevant for all areas of the food industry and its suppliers. HACCP certification confirms high quality standards for food safety.

HACCP measures

The HACCP standards include a whole range of measures to ensure the proper handling of food. The focus here is on important preparatory considerations in advance, such as the initial implementation of a hazard analysis, the identification of potential hazards, instructions for action in the event that defined limits are exceeded, as well as final analysis and evaluation tools that can be used to track the effectiveness of the system.

HACCP measures at a glance

• Carrying out a risk analysis
• Identification of critical control points for food safety
• Definition of intervention limits at the respective critical control points
• Set up appropriate monitoring procedures at the critical control points
• Setting up corrective measures in the event of deviations
• Setting up evaluation measures to check the efficiency of the established HACCP system
• Setting up documentation of the measures

HACCP advantages

The introduction of an HACCP system offers numerous advantages for both the company and the client. The focus is on ensuring safe food production and compliance with all legal requirements. In addition, an HACCP system can contribute to more economical production, simplify processes and communication and reduce costs overall.

HACCP advantages at a glance

• Ensuring safe food
• Compliance with legal requirements
• Savings in quality costs and improvement of the system
• Reduction of friction losses between individual departments
• Proactive management

Risk management in accordance with HACCP
Every company that produces or handles food must have a HACCP concept and document it. In German legislation, the concept is part of the Food Hygiene Ordinance. It provides for the mandatory implementation of the HACCP concept in all companies that produce, process and/or distribute food.

This also has significance throughout Europe: the EU hygiene package that came into force in 2006 stipulates that only foodstuffs that comply with the HACCP guidelines may be traded in or imported into the European Union.

Although all companies that produce food or handle it in any way had to provide evidence of an HACCP concept before then, a documented version has been required since 2006. Large companies in particular, where there are a large number of sources of danger and risk, are obliged to provide comprehensive documentation. For smaller businesses, cleaning plans, personnel instructions and other evidence may already be sufficient.

GHP: Good Hygiene Practice

The implementation of an HACCP system begins with the introduction of good hygiene practice (GHP ). It includes preventative measures such as cleaning and training programs, pest control measures, etc., which are issued by various professional associations for the respective professional groups. The implementation of good hygiene practices and company-specific assessments result in residual risks – “critical control points” in HACCP terms, which are then managed as part of the actual HACCP concept.