HACCP

A buyer of a food processor may meet the term when asking to see its food safety system. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the controls in a preventive control plan are based on HACCP principles, and that its Food Safety Enhancement Program is based on them too and specifies the requirements for an effective HACCP system.

The elements to look for

The agency’s Food Safety Enhancement Program guidance calls the part of a plan required by section 89(1)(c) of the Regulations a HACCP plan. That paragraph covers the hazards identified, the critical control points, the critical limits for each, monitoring procedures, corrective action procedures and verification. The same guidance describes a HACCP team and HACCP team meetings.

Questions for a seller

• Which critical control points has the business identified, and where is the evidence behind each critical limit?
• What do the monitoring records show, and what corrective actions were taken?
• Who owns the system day to day, and do they stay on after closing?

HACCP names the principles, while the preventive control plan is the written document the Regulations require of licence holders. See what a food and beverage processor is worth.