Food Production

Traditional Methods of Food Production

Food business operators shall ensure that at all stages of production, processing and distribution of food under their control satisfy the relevant hygiene requirements laid down in this Regulation.

Specific requirements for hygiene
Food businesses must take the following specific hygiene measures:
a) compliance with microbiological criteria for foodstuffs;
b) procedures necessary to achieve the targets set to achieve the goals of this Regulation;
c) compliance with the requirements relating to temperature control of foodstuffs;
d) maintaining the cold chain;
e) sampling and analysis.

System Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
The food business must create, implement and maintain a procedure based on HACCP principles, which are:

* Identify any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced;
* Identify critical control points, ie, those phases which control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard or reduce it;
* Establish critical limits for critical control points, for evaluating whether the hazard is or is not under control;
* Monitor critical control points;
* When monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not controlled Establish corrective action
* Establish procedures to be carried out regularly, to verify that the measures outlined in subparagraphs a) to e) are effective,
* Prepare documents and records commensurate with the nature and size of the food business to demonstrate the effective application of the measures outlined in subparagraphs a) f).

The successful implementation of procedures based on HACCP principles will require the commitment and full cooperation of employees in the food sector. To this end, employees must be trained.

The HACCP system is a tool to help food business operators to achieve a higher level of food security should not be considered a method of self-regulation should not replace official controls.

The HACCP requirements should be sufficiently flexible to be applicable in all situations, including in small businesses, for example taking into account that in some cases, good hygienic practices can replace the monitoring of critical points. The flexibility regarding the structural requirements of establishments is also desirable to continue using traditional methods of food production.