Overview

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is an internationally recognized approach to the management of the safety of food products.  HACCP focuses on the prevention of biological, chemical and physical hazards, rather than the inspection of finished products.  Potential safety risks and hazards are identified so that appropriate countermeasures can be developed to reduce or eliminate the risks.  HACCP recognizes that it is both inadquate and inappropriate to merely “test” the quality of perishable food products – food producers and handlers need to carefully examine their food facilities, receiving, production, handling, testing, packaging and storage processes and ensure that all efforts are made to eliminate the risks of the hazards being realized.

Originally developed by NASA for the control of the manufacture of foods destined for astronauts in space, HACCP is now globally recognized as the standard for a food safety management system (FMSM) – and is a core part of the ISO22000 Food Safety Management System standard.  HACCP is required by most international food regulatory agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

The seven basic principles of HACCP are:

1. Identify and analyze potential hazards
2. Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs)
3. Establish Critical Limits
4. Monitor CCPs
5. Determine Corrective Actions
6. Maintain records
7. Verify and Validate as appropriate

HACCP is being increasingly applied to industries beyond food, and is now also commonly used by organizations in the cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industries.

SatiStar has performed over 1600 such management system implementations for clients ranging from 6 employees to those with hundreds of locations, and tens of thousands of employees. 

Scope And Deliverables

The principal project outcomes are as follows:

• A HACCP manual that governs the management of food safety within the organization.
• A documented and cohesive set of procedures that will in turn improve the routine capability of the organization to ensure the safety of its food processes.
• A detailed process-based risk analysis for the entire operation.
• Control methods for all risks deemed significant, and clear responsibility and accountability for those controls.
• Records and metrics for key safety control issues.
• An internal audit and management review process that will identify nonconformances versus the defined standards as well as opportunities for improving the food safety management system (FMSM).
• Accredited registration of your HACCP food safety management system.

What We Will Do

Block Flow Diagramming Session

This session represents the kickoff meeting for the project.  At this meeting which can last anywhere from an hour to half a day, we review any existing documentation that you have already put together, and we perform a block flow diagram (BFD) analysis.  This analysis will identify the full scope of your operations from a food safety management perspective, a perspective that will include your suppliers, any subcontractors, your customers, and all the facilities and processes within your operations.

Process Flow Diagrams

Your manual will be created using SatiStar’s process flow diagramming technology.  This technology enables us to eliminate 70% or more of the text that is normally found in text based manuals.  SatiStar’s process documentation specialists will interview the individuals within your organization who actually do the work.  This is your system.  We simply hold the pen to record in your employees’ words what they do.  Interviews typically take between 20 minutes to 2 hours for each individual process.

Hazard Analysis 

SatiStar’s experts will facilitate the identification of all risks and their associated hazards, and then help develop means to either eliminate those risks or develop appropriate controls to ensure that all remaining risks are being managed appropriately.

Manual Creation

SatiStar will create HACCP compliant policies, procedures and other related documents and assemble these documents into a HACCP manual for your approval.  Implementation of the food safety management system as described by the manual, can often commence while the manual is still being created.  The contents of the manual will include:

• Description of the products being processed
• Ingredients and incoming materials
• Process flows
• Plant layouts & traffic flow patterns
• Biological hazards
• Chemical hazards
• Physical hazards
• Critical control points (CCPs)
• Process flow diagrams with CCPs
• Biological hazard controls
• Chemical hazard controls
• Physical hazard controls
• Hazards not controlled by operator
• Cleaning procedures
• Changeover procedures
• Critical limits
• Monitoring procedures
• Deviation procedures
• Verification / Validation procedures
• Records
• HACCP Plans
• Calibration and Preventive Maintenance procedures
• Control of Non-Conformity procedures
• Corrective Action procedures
• Customer complaint procedures
• Training procedures and plans

Gap Analysis

SatiStar’s methodology eliminates a separate gap analysis.  We integrate a gap analysis within the process mapping and HACCP manual creation activities.  In this way, we eliminate considerable time, cost and rework from the overall project.  That in turn enables us to get you registered much more quickly.

Implementation Coaching and Support

The overall food safety management system implementation process takes about two months, but you can choose to implement the system at any pace that is comfortable.  During this phase of the project, we work with you to transform your HACCP manual into a working food safety management system.  SatiStar’s implementation approach is to prioritize those elements of your FMSM for which no HACCP compliant element is currently in place.  One caveat must be brought to your attention with regard to implementation – more rapid implementations have better success and produce much higher quality results.  If you plan to extend the implementation time frame beyond 6 months our experience is that it will be hard to maintain sufficient organizational momentum and enthusiasm towards registration.  This makes it harder for you to keep the project viable, and avoid considerable rework.

Internal Audit

SatiStar’s qualified auditors will conduct the audit, which will take between one and several days to complete (depending on the size and complexity of your organization).  The audit will be documented in an audit binder that we will create.  Any corrective actions that are required will be written up by our auditor and placed within the audit binder.  The auditor will then review with your food safety system representative exactly what each corrective action refers to, and will discuss detailed actions that will rapidly and effectively close out the corrective action request.  Coaching will also be provided on how to respond to corrective action requests.

Management Review

SatiStar will facilitate a management review meeting.  We will create an agenda for this meeting that complies with the requirements of the standard, and will demonstrate how such a meeting can be conducted so that it becomes an effective tool for action and quality improvement.  A record of the management review meeting and the actions arising from that meeting will be required to meet the requirements of the standard.

External Audit

SatiStar will provide coaching on how to pass an audit, and will help remove the stress from the event by providing strategies and techniques for working with the auditor effectively.  We have a perfect record of successful registrations.  In 100% of the registrations that we assist clients with, the registrar makes a clear recommendation for registration at the time of the external audit.  What remains is to clear up the few remaining findings, to receive the registration certificate, and of course to maintain the system.

What We Need You To Do

Although SatiStar does most of the technical work, ultimately it is up to the client to implement and “live” in the new food safety management system processes.

• Select a Food Safety System Representative who will ensure that the management system processes are implemented and maintained.
• Provide a “HACCP War Room” where we can conduct training, coaching, interviews and planning sessions.
• Participate in the block flow, process flow diagramming, management review meeting and in the internal audit events.
• Provide SatiStar’s personnel with access to your facilities, personnel and data as required.
• Provide us with any required Safety, Security and other training to enable us to work on your premises.

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