Food Safety Management Systems

Food safety management can be viewed from different levels: broadly from the perspective of government food safety management systems or more narrowly from that of industry-wide food safety management systems or that of food safety management within an individual establishment. The role of the food industry is to provide safe foods; industry is responsible for establishing food safety management systems that ensure that foods present a minimal risk to the consumer. Risk analysis allows the development of risk-based metrics, such as food safety objectives (FSOs), performance objectives (POs), and performance criteria (PCs), which are addressed in this chapter. Seven hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles form the framework of a systematic approach to ensure the determination and control of significant food safety hazards associated with a product and process. Monitoring is the first line of defense in the preventive HACCP system. In addition to those related to GMP or sanitation regulations, prerequisite programs can include other programs, such as ingredient specifications, consumer complaint management, glass control programs, allergen management programs, microbiological monitoring of the plant environment, ingredient-to-product traceability programs, and supplier approval programs. PCs can easily be translated into product or process criteria by industry or by government. In integrating a farm-to-fork food safety system, there will be a variety of metrics at points along the food chain.