HACCP Information and Links

LA Testing has a certified HACCP team on staff and available to help address validation testing needs for HACCP Critical Control Points (CCP’s). Once a Hazard Analysis is conducted and a HACCP plan is on file, EMSL can provide dependable and efficient analysis to fulfill HACCP CCP Monitoring Requirements. Contact your LA Testing Representative today for details. HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)

• Systematic preventative approach to food, consumer products, pharmaceutical safety
• History
  • Principles developed by NASA in the 1950’s as a result of a need to better guarantee the safety of food in space.
  • NASA teamed up with Pillsbury in 1959 to develop more "earthly" applications.
  • Identify the critical points in product production process at which hazards were likely introduced. From there program is developed to control these critical points, thus CCP’s
• Address 3 types of hazards
  • Physical (Glass, wood, metal etc)
  • Chemical (pesticides, toxins, allergens etc)
  • Biological (pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses, prions etc)
• Food SAFETY concerns only
  • Food quality is an aesthetic issue. HACCP plans are only concerned with keeping the food safe.
  • Example: E. coli O157:H7 in bean sprouts = Food Safety Issue, Moldy bean sprouts = Food Quality issue
• HACCP Seven Principles
  • Conduct Hazard Analysis
  • Identify Critical Control Points (CCP’s)
  • Establish critical Limits for each CCP
  • Establish CCP Monitoring requirements
  • Establish Corrective Actions
  • Establish record keeping procedures
  • Establish verifications procedures
• Regulations
  • 1973 – FDA applied HACCP to Low Acid Canned Food Regulations
  • 1988 – HACCP principles promoted and incorporated into food safety legislation all over the world
  • 1996 – USDA established the Pathogen Reduction/ HACCP program under the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for raw meat facilities
• Applicable tests
  • Pathogen screens to validate safety
    • Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes
    • Salmonella
    • E. coli O157:H7
    • Campylobacter
    • Clostridium
  • APC, Coliform/E.coli indicators of bacterial load, pathogen indicator and fecal contamination