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Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences - Vol. 11, No. 6
Publication Date: December 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/dafs.116.15856.
Riccardi, B., Resta, S., & Resta, G. (2023). Limits of the HACCP for the Food Safety System. Discoveries in Agriculture and Food
Sciences, 11(6). 15-22.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Limits of the HACCP for the Food Safety System
Bruno Riccardi
56022 Castelfranco di Sotto (Pisa), Via dei lazzeri, 33, Italy
Sergio Resta
53043 Chiusi (SI), Via Monte Grappa, Italy
Giacomo Resta
University of Perugia, Italy
ABSTRACT
The HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) method is a universally
adopted method for the prevention of the risks of contamination of food with
harmful substances. Although this method ensures that there are no pollutants
within the strict limits set by international regulations, it cannot be ruled out that
contamination of food with potentially harmful substances will not occur. This
depends on the current method of food production, which throughout the
production chain, from primary production to packaging, involves the addition of
numerous substances and additives to preserve the integrity of food. Since the
HACCP system not only has concerned food production, but in general all the
productive activities used to produce the aids for the prevention or the therapy of
the diseases, or for dermo cosmetic use, the relevance and impact of such a system
on health is understood. In this work we are going to examine all aspects and
procedures used to produce food, highlighting the risks associated with the
improper use of additives and preservatives.
Keywords: HACCP method, Food hygiene, risks and contaminants in food, food additives
INTRODUCTION
Food is the primary source that ensures the survival of the living, for the human species it also
represents natural medicine for the primary prevention of many diseases. Hippocrates of Koos
(460 BC) [1] recognized first the therapeutic value of foods and coined the famous motto: "let
food be your medicine". For it to fulfil its fundamental mission, food must be genuine and free
from potential dangers that may produce harmful effects on the health of consumers. Over the
centuries, food has been undergoing a profound evolution from primitive methods of collecting
and hunting food sources, and their direct consumption, to modern intensive industrial
production, by which the food undergoes numerous manipulations and is processed before
being consumed. From its origin to its consumption, food is subjected to a complex industrial
processing method that includes several stages of processing, each of which can represent the
route of introduction of chemical, physical or biological substances harmful to health. The
research and experience gained over the years has led to the introduction of appropriate
procedures to eliminate or at least minimise the risks present during food production. These
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Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences (DAFS) Vol 11, Issue 6, December- 2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
procedures have been collected and codified in the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
(HACCP) method [2].
THE HACCP METHOD, HISTORY, MEANING AND VALUE FOR FOOD SAFETY
The HACCP method was born in 1960 in the Pillsbury Company, the United States Army and the
United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was developed and
introduced by NASA to adopt methodologies that could counteract the spread of pathologies of
food origin and to ensure, at the same time, food safety. Since the eighties, the HACCP method
has spread all over the world to become the only universally accepted method for guaranteeing
food hygiene. Over the years the method has undergone numerous changes, based on the
experience gained during the production of foodstuffs, by specific information for each type of
production. Numerous norms and legal provisions have been produced and introduced, the
adoption of which has become mandatory internationally for every company operating in the
food sector, or in the production of substances to be administered to humans and animals.
BASIC SYSTEM HACCP
The 7 basic system principles of the HACCP system are the following:
1. Identify any hazard to be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to acceptable levels
2. Identify critical control points (CCPs) at the stage or stages where the control is essential
to prevent or eliminate a risk or reduce it to acceptable levels
3. Establishing critical control points as critical limits differentiating acceptability and
unacceptable for the prevention, elimination, or reduction of identified risks.
4. Establishing and implement effective surveillance procedures in CCPs
5. To determining the corrective action to be taken if the monitoring shows that a certain
critical point is not under control
6. Establishing procedures to be applied regularly to verify the effective functioning of the
measures taken.
7. Preparing documents and records appropriate to the nature and size of the food
business to demonstrate the effective application of the measures referred to in points
1) to 6)
It follows from the above that the method referred to as HACCP consists in identifying all the
stages which may cause a potential risk of introduction of substances harmful to health. Once
these steps have been identified, measures should be taken to contain the harmful risk. In
general, the greatest risks are represented by the stages of food handling by health
professionals or by contact with surfaces and tools used for its processing and not properly
cleaned and sanitized. The use of aids and clothing recommended by this method for the
containment of bacterial infection during the handling of instruments and substances used in
production is one of the nerve points that may compromise the result. The principals used are
all disposable clothing, to be worn before starting food processing such as gloves, lab coats,
headgear, masks, shoe covers that must be worn to reduce bacterial contamination. These are
not sterile garments, therefore they cannot guarantee the absence of bacteria, they only have
the task of reducing the risk of their presence, if they are kept in closed containers that can be
sanitized and that they are made of good quality materials. The same measures adopted for the
containment of risks, have ephemeral value, and if they are carried out in an impeccable way,
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Riccardi, B., Resta, S., & Resta, G. (2023). Limits of the HACCP for the Food Safety System. Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 11(6). 15-
22.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/dafs.116.15856
their validity and reliability is only temporary. For example, it is impossible to ensure continuity
of effectiveness in sanitizing procedures, and thus potential risks of bacterial contamination.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
A second crucial aspect concerns the quality of the raw materials used in food production.
Whether it is chemical elements and substances, or plant extracts used in the production of food
supplements, whether it is meat or fish or vegetables used in the catering or food industry, it is
impossible to exclude the presence of chemical pollutants or heavy metals and pesticides inside
them, because they cannot be eliminated. This happens because there is an upstream stage of
food production, which is the stage of production and collection of raw materials and food
substances, during which natural or man-made environmental factors intervene that could
irremediably pollute the quality and safety of nutrients. The sources of primary natural
pollution are toxic substances such as heavy metals, microplastics, parasites, weeds or other
naturally occurring elements that occasionally enter food Fig. 1.
Figure 1: The main hazards notified through the RASFF in 2022 From RASFF 2022, EU food
safety report https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/en/safety/rasff-2022-report-on-food- safetyin-the-eu/
The sources of artificial pollution of food are caused by substances and drugs introduced by
man to preserve them from deterioration and increase the amount of production of raw
materials. They are pesticides, dioxin, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones. All these
substances enter the food chain and are concentrated in food. Most, if not all, of these
substances are impossible to eliminate and maximum permissible concentration limits are
established [3]. No better is the situation in the production of wine and beverages, where the
use of dyes and preservatives is essential, and their constant presence.