Identify the hazards
List all potential hazards associated with each process step, conduct a hazard analysis and consider any measures to control identified hazards.
- Biological
- Chemical
- Physical
- Allergens
After listing all the hazards (biological, chemical or physical) that may be reasonably expected at each step from primary production, processing, manufacturing and distribution until the point of consumption, the HACCP team should assess the potential significance or risk of each hazard by considering its likelihood of occurrence and severity. The estimate of the risk of a hazard occurring is based upon a combination of experience, epidemiological data and information in the technical literature. Severity is the degree of seriousness of the consequences of a hazard if the hazard is not controlled. There may be differences of opinion even among experts as to the risk of a hazard.
After the hazard analysis is completed, the team must then consider what control measures, if any, exist which can be applied for the control of each hazard. Control measures are any actions and activities that can be used to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level. More than one measure may be required to control a specific hazard and more than one hazard may be controlled by a specified measure.
Severity
Severity is the magnitude of a hazard or the degree of consequences that can result when a hazard exists. Disease-causing hazards can be categorized according to their severity. One system uses the categories of:
High (Intolerable Risk)
Medium (Undesirable Risk)
Low (Acceptable or Tolerable Risk)
Likelihood of Occurrence
Risk is a function of the probability of an adverse effect and the magnitude of that effect, consequential to a hazard(s) in food. Degrees of risk can be categorized as high (H), medium (M), low (L) and negligible (N).
Hazard Analysis – Best Practice
