The System

Part of the hygiene code for the catering industry is the HACCP system that is used to identify and eliminate risks. The abbreviation stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. In order to gain insight into food threats (Hazard), a company checks (Analysis) which high-risk parts in the production or preparation process (Critical Control Points) must be closely monitored. Every company or institution must translate the HACCP system into a structured and verifiable method that demonstrably reduces all hazards during the food preparation process to an acceptable level. The HACCP system is used worldwide under the management of the World Health Organization (WHO) and contains 7 basic principles:

• Make an inventory of all potential hazards and point out the real ones
• Find out what measures are needed to control the hazard and establish critical control points (CCPs)
• Indicate the critical limits per CCP
• Determine how the CCPs are contained
• Record the corrective actions per CCP
• Apply verification
• Keep documentation and records