Hazard analysis and critical control points HACCP program

This nonsystematic approach to monitoring has proven inadequate for protecting the U.S. food supply. In response, the FDA enacted the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program of 1997 (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1995, 2001). In the U.S., the FDA has established action levels in suspect seafood for the toxins causing some of the shellfish poisonings (see Table 7.3). When an action level is reached, the HACCP plan must be followed to prevent unsafe product from reaching consumers. 

The National Advisory Committee s Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program has been endorsed as an effective and rational means of assuring food safety from harvest to consumption [8], The basic principles used to develop a HACCP plan include hazard analysis, verification procedures, critical control point identification, establishing critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, verification procedures, and record keeping and documentation. This same approach could be loosely applied to the identification and control of microbiological hazards encountered by consumers in their environment. 

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