Frequently Asked Questions

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. HACCP is an internationally recognised risk management methodology used by the food and related industries to reduce food safety hazards to acceptable risk levels.

Yes. The HACCP principles have been adopted all over the world, particularly in the USA, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Increasingly, HACCP is becoming an important feature in the import/export process. It is recognised by all countries as the best method of food safety risk management and is the basis of global supply chain food safety standards, the most important of which are the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) benchmarked schemes. These include those from the BRC (British Retail Consortium), SQF (Safe Quality Food) and FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification). Food business in Europe, for example, are governed by Food Hygiene Regulations such as Article 5 of EC 852/2004) to manage food safety using a documented and verified HACCP Plan supported by pre-requisite programmes such as cleaning, training, pest control, maintenance and supplier approval.

HACCP International’s scheme is one of ‘product certification’ rather than ‘management system’, and delivers independent, third party, expert confirmation to a food business as to a certified product’s food safety attributes and fitness for use within a facility operating a HACCP based food safety programme. All products that have incidental food contact or present a risk to food safety need to be formally assessed. Our scheme meets this precise need.

Food businesses manage food safety hazards by implementing a management system – a HACCP Programme – which addresses risks from a variety of sources. Some of the sources of food safety hazards, such as ingredients, cleanliness, processing, and staff behaviour are controlled through an in-house procedure. The HACCP Programme will also include a component that manages the risk from suppliers’ products, be they food, packaging equipment or materials. This might be referred to as ‘Vendor Quality Assurance (VQA)’. Food businesses are audited against Management System Standards such as those mentioned above to ensure conformance.

The food safety hazards that arise from food equipment, food room materials and services are addressed in in the HACCP food safety programme. These hazards are best controlled through the VQA and pre-requisite programmes such as ‘supplier/product approval’ which are designed to assure an appropriate, risk assessments and decision process is conducted when considering a product/service and its application. This is where HACCP International’s certification is very useful. It demonstrates a commitment to food safety and give highly recognised third-party assurance as to a products suitability.

Any non-food product or service used within the food industry that might have incidental food contact or impact on food safety management can be certified provided our requirements are met. Some products are unsuccessful in this process where an unacceptable risk profile is discovered in the evaluation process. Often, applicants can make some adjustment to their product, design, system, specifications or instructions to overcome this.

An example of some of the products that have been certified include; food grade lubricants, pest control chemicals and pest control services, towels, and hand dryers, cleaning aids and utensils, gloves, hand hygiene chemicals, modular cold rooms, antimicrobial additives, flooring, refrigerators freezers,  ice machines, drinks dispensers, temperature management products, extraction canopies and  fit-out materials, coatings, hairnets and lighting. A wide range of product types indeed!

It’s actually what we do! ‘HACCP Verification’ or ‘HACCP Compliance’ are phrases that are often used to describe what is an ‘auditable due diligence process confirming a products suitability for use within a food processing or handling operation’. In most cases, these phrases reference products and materials rather than the food safety management system of the food business itself. Every facet of the product under evaluation should be considered – not just single features. The ten key facets are listed in the brochure below:

This due diligence process must be completed by an expert technologist with the appropriate qualification, skills and knowledge. It is the process undertaken by the food scientists, microbiologists or chemists at HACCP International.

The food safety risk, number of products and the complexity really determine this from HACCP International’s side. From the applicant’s side, having product data, specifications and records available makes a big difference. While some product can go through the evaluation process in three weeks, most would require two to three months

The HACCP International evaluation process considers a number of the world’s most demanding requirements such as those determined by The FDA or The EU, (e.g. EU 1935/2004 and EU 10-2011).The certification also takes account of the expectations of those food safety schemes that are endorsed by the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative), Codex HACCP and FSMA.  That said, most countries have individual and particular laws and regulations in this regard which also need to be addressed separately by manufacturers themselves. We can certainly advise on many of these.

No! While the evaluation cost will depend, to a certain extent on product numbers and complexity, the certification fees are category based. Products with similar form and purpose are considered to be one group. Some applicants might only have a few products in a category, others might have 30 or 40. The evaluation cost can be reduced by ensuring all the available data and information is available

There are a number of things to consider. You may be best to pick up the phone first and talk to us! But, for equipment and as an initial guide, consider the material used and hygienic design. Equipment and certain types of materials should be designed to minimise the chance of cross contamination, extraneous matter contamination, and should be easy to clean and, if necessary, sanitise. Consider any claims that are made about the product – claims of efficacy, for example, will often require support of appropriate documentation. Technical specifications need to be available for review so we can confirm that the materials or components are safe for use in a food processing environment.  You might also consider your own factory’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and its ability to minimise the risk of contamination of the finished article – especially where it is to be used in particularly hygiene sensitive areas in a food room. Service providers need appropriate food safety training, reporting systems and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

JASANZ stands for the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand and is a body that provides accreditation against international standards for certification bodies. HACCP International has been accredited by JASANZ in the field of Product Certification. For more information refer to https://register.jasanz.org/accredited-bodies or contact us. All products certified under the JASANZ accredited scheme are identified as such.

JASANZ is a member of the IAF (International Accreditation Forum) and, as such, has complete international equivalence with ANSI (The American National Standards Institute). UKAS, (The United Kingdom Accreditation Service), SAS (The Swiss Accreditation Service) or SAC (The Singapore Accreditation Council) and many others.

Yes, we certainly do! Through other divisions of the organisation, we have an extensive network of food scientists devoted to food safety in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. We work with thousands of food companies, and other organisations, supporting the industry in implementing food safety programmes at food plants and food handling facilities, undertaking food safety auditing, advising on food safety issues. Our clients in this sector range from global catering companies, such as Compass Group, to smaller niche processors, distributors, government, insurers and retailers, such as Aldi.