Whitepaper: personal hygiene within the food industry

    Practical provisions for complying with the HACCP regulation

    HACCP GUIDELINES

    The HACCP guidelines are not a recent invention. NASA developed this system back in the 1960s to control the food that astronauts consumed. The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (in other words, the Hazard Analysis and critical control points) were later introduced for the entire food industry. Much of the food industry must now make food according to an HACCP plan. HACCP falls under European legislation, which means the law applies to all countries within the European Union.


    The following points must be addressed by companies     with an HACCP plan:

    • Process management
    • Furnishing of plant and equipment
    • Water supply
    • Environmental hygiene
    • Cleaning and disinfection
    • Pest control
    • Personal hygiene

    HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System.

    H: Hazard: A hazard that may be present in a food or beverage that may pose a threat to consumer health. Consider bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites , chemicals and physical hazards such as glass, metal etc.

    A: Analysis: Analyzing potential hazards and risks. The analysis combines the probability of the hazard occurring and the severity of the impact on public health.

    CCP: Critical Control Points: Points in the food production process that must be kept under control to prevent or reduce a hazard to an acceptable level. 

    Where the emphasis is placed depends on the nature of the business. In the meat industry, the risks are mainly related to contamination. Therefore, the most important factors in that case are cleaning and disinfection, pest control and personal hygiene. In a bakery, the risks are different and the HACCP plan is drawn up differently.

    The Manager Quality Control or Food Safety draws up the plan and supervises its operation. The function of these employees is important to assess the operation of the food safety plan and ensure that it results in safe food; a necessity if a company wants to have customers.

    PERSONAL hygiEne

    Elpress hygienic entrance

    When a company wants to produce food in a safe manner, personal hygiene is crucial. To meet strict hygiene standards, nothing should be left to chance. You want to have and keep control. 

    There are several ways to have control. Through a well-equipped hygiene room, employees are forced to adhere to hygiene requirements. Of course, it is important that this system fits your organization in several ways. It must fit the guidelines you are implementing, at the time and time set aside within your organization for personal hygiene, and the system must fit the premises and various production areas. Divergent challenges can be addressed element by element or combined into a plan that accurately identifies times, locations and needs. The goal is food safety, and here's how.

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