Food Control, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.

77-85, 1996
Copyright © 1996 Publishedby ElsevierScienceLtd
Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
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PAPER

Importance of HACCP for

public health and development
The role of the World Health
Organization*

Y. Motarjemi, F. K ifersteint, G. Moy, S. Miyagawa

and K. Miyagishima
In the 30 years since its conception, the HACCP system has grown to become the
universally recognized and accepted method for food safety assurance. The recent
and growing concern worldwide about food safety on the part of public health
authorities, the food industry and consumers has been the major impetus in the
application of the HACCP system. This concern has been substantiated by a
significant increase in the incidence of foodborne diseases in many countries
during recent years.
The World Health Organization has recognized the importance of the HACCP
system for prevention of foodborne diseases for over 20 years and has played an
important role in its development and promotion. One of the highlights in the
history of the HACCP system was in 1993 when the Codex Guidelines for the
Application of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HA CCP) system were
adopted by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. The Codex Code on
General Principles of Food Hygiene, presently under revision, will also include
recommendations for the application of the Codex HACCP Guidelines. In turn,
all relevant Codes of Hygienic Practice will need to be revised to include HA CCP.
The Codex Guidelines play a crucial roh, in the international harmonization of
the approach towards the application of the HACCP system. Following the
successful conclusion of the GATT Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade
Negotiations in April 1994, Codex standards, guidelines (including the Guidelines
for the Appfication of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System) and
recommendations constitute the reference for food safety requirements in inter-
national trade.
This paper presents an overview of the need for the HACCP system, the
progress made in its implementation, and the role that WHO has played in this
regard. It also provides some highlights of a recent WHO consultation on the
subject, with particular focus on its recommendations regarding the implementa-
tion of the HACCP system. Copyright © 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Food Safety Unit, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. *This paper has been prepared in connection with a
WHO Consultation - - held with the participation of FAO - - on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System: Concept
and Application (Geneva, 29-31 May 1995). It is based on the papers prepared by individual participants and the report of
the Consultation. The contributions of the participants are gratefully acknowledged.
tPresented by F. K~iferstein, Chief, Food Safety Unit, World Health Organization, at the 25th Congress of the World
Veterinary Association, Yokohama, Japan, 3 - 9 September 1995.

Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2 77

Importance of HACCP for public health and development: Y. Motarjemi et al.
INTRODUCTION
The term HACCP, which stands for Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point, is one which today evokes
'food safety'. One cannot write about the history of
the HACCP system, however, without reminiscing
and giving credit to those who conceived it. The Pills-
bury Company, together with NASA and the US
Army's Research, Development and Engineering
Center at Natick first developed this system to ensure
the safety of astronauts' food. In the 30 years since
then, the HACCP system has grown to become the
universally recognized and accepted method for food
safety assurance. While it was originally developed to
ensure microbiological safety of foodstuffs, it has
been further broadened to include chemical and
physical hazards in foods. The recent growing world-
wide concern about food safety by public health
authorities and other concerned parties, to a great
extent due to WHO's advocacy in this field, has been
a major impetus in the application of the HACCP
system.
T H E N E E D F O R AN E F F E C T I V E F O O D
SAFETY ASSURANCE METHOD
Food safety has been of concern to humankind since
the dawn of history, and many of the problems
encountered in our food supply go back to the
earliest recorded years. Many rules and recommenda-
tions advocated in religious or historical texts are
evidence of the concern to protect people against
foodborne diseases and food adulteration. However,
in recent decades this concern has grown. There are
many reasons for this:
• Foodborne diseases remain one of the most
widespread public health problems in the contem-
porary world, and an important cause of reduced
economic productivity, despite progress in food
science and technologies. The World Declaration on
Nutrition, adopted by the FAO/WHO International
Conference on Nutrition, emphasizes that hun-
dreds of millions of people suffer from communic-
able and non-communicable diseases caused by
contaminated food and water.
• Increasing incidence of many foodborne diseases,
e.g. salmonellosis and camphylobactcriosis, in
many regions of the world.
• Increased knowledge and awareness of the serious
and chronic health effects of foodborne pathogens.
• The possibility of detecting minute amounts of
contaminants in food, due to advances in scientific
and analytical methods.
• Emerging foodborne pathogens, e.g. Listeria mono-
cytogenes, verocytotoxin producing E. coli, Carnpy-
lobacter spp., foodborne trematodes etc.
• An increase in the number of vulnerable people,
such as the elderly, immunocompromised indivi-
78 Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2
duals, the undernourished and individuals with
other underlying health problems.
• Increased awareness of the economic conse-
quences of foodborne diseases.
• Industrialization and increased mass production.
leading to (i) increased risks of food contamina-
tion, and (ii) the considerably larger numbers of
people affected in foodborne disease outbreaks as
a result.
• Urbanization, leading to a more complex food
chain, and thus greater opportunities for food
contamination.
• New food technologies and processing methods,
causing concern either about the safety of the
products themselves or the eventual consequences
due to inappropriate handling during preparation
in households or food service/catering establish-
ments.
• (.'hanging lifestyles, depicted by an increasing
number of people eating outside the home, in food
service or catering establishments, at street food
stalls, or in fast-food restaurants. Responsibility for
food preparation shared between family members
who are not always aware of food safety rules.
• Increased worldwide tourism and international
trade in foodstuffs, leading to greater exposure to
foodborne hazards from other areas.
• Increased contamination of the environment.
• Increased consumer awareness of food safety.
• Lack of or decreasing resources for food safety.
It is this climate of increasing concern about food
safety, the lack of sufficient resources and the recog-
nition of the limitations of traditional approaches to
tk)od safety assurance which have accentuated the
need for a cost-effective food safety assurance
method, which the HACCP system has proven to be.
HACCP SYSTEM AND ITS B E N E F I T S
The HACCP system is a scientific, rational 'and
systematic approach to identification, assessment and
control of hazards during production, processing,
manufacturing, preparation and use of food to ensure
that food is safe when consumed (i.e. it does not
present an unacceptable risk to health). With the
HACCP system, food safety control, presently based
on end-product testing, is integrated into the design
of the process. Therefore, the HACCP system pro-
vides a preventive and thus a cost-effective approach
to food safety. In 1993, the Joint FAO/WHO Codex
Alimentarius Commission endorsed the HACCP
system as the most cost-effective approach devised to
date for ensuring the safety of food. Experiences
gained in some countries indicate that application of
HACCP systems leads to more efficient prevention of
foodborne diseases. For example, in the USA, appli-
cation of HACCP by fish processors is estimated to
 Importance of HACCP for public health and development: Y. Motarjemi et al.
avert some 20-60% of cases of seafoodborne
illnesses (USFDA, 1994).
The HACCP system is based on seven principles:
(i) conduct hazard analysis, identify hazards and
specify control measures; (ii) identify critical control
points (CCPs); (iii) establish critical limits at each
CCP; (iv) establish monitoring procedures; (v) estab-
lish corrective action procedures; (vi) establish verifi-
cation procedures; and (vii) establish documentation
procedures.
The HACCP system has different areas of
application:
• The HACCP system can be used as a method of
food safety assurance in food production, pro-
cessing, manufacturing and preparation.
• The HACCP system can be used as an inspection
tool in food control. It leads to more efficient
inspection of food operations, as the role of food
inspectors is centred on the assessment of the
HACCP plan and confirmation that it is properly
designed and operating effectively.
• The HACCP concept can also be used to study
food preparation practices, and to identify and
assess hazardous behaviour, which should be the
focus of health education interventions.
• The HACCP concept can also be used in the
management of food safety programmes to identify
those problems which are of greatest risk to public
health, and in order to prioritize interventions.
The additional benefits of the HACCP system can be
summarized as follows:
• The HACCP system overcomes many of the
limitations of traditional approaches to food safety
control (generally based on 'snap-shot' inspection
and end-product testing), including
(i) the difficulty of collecting and examining suffi-
cient samples to obtain meaningful, repre-
sentative information;
(ii) the length of time required to obtain the
results;
(iii) the high costs incurred by end-product testing
or even product recall in the case of evidence
of contamination;
(iv) identification of problems without under-
standing the causes; and
(v) limitations of 'snap-shot' inspection tech-
niques in predicting potential food safety
problems.
• The HACCP system has the potential to identify
all conceivable, reasonably expected hazards, even
where failures have not previously been experi-
enced. It is therefore particularly useful for new
operations.
• The HACCP system is capable of accommodating
changes introduced, such as progress in equipment
design, improvements in processing procedures
and technological developments related to the
product.
• The HACCP system will help target/direct
resources to the most critical part of the food
operation.
• With the HACCP system one can expect an
improvement in the relationship between (i) food
processors and food inspectors, and (ii) food
processors and consumers. The HACCP system
provides a scientifically sound basis for demon-
strating that all reasonable precautions have been
taken to prevent a hazard from reaching the
consumer. In this way, it encourages confidence in
the safety of food products and thus promotes
both confidence in the food industry and stability
of food businesses.
• Data collected facilitates the work of food inspec-
tors for auditing purposes.
• The HACCP system is applicable to the whole
food chain, from the raw material to the end-
product, i.e. growing, harvesting, processing or
manufacturing, transport and distribution, prepara-
tion and consumption.
• The HACCP system can be readily integrated into
quality management systems, e.g. ISO 9000.
W H O AS A N A D V O C A T E FOR THE
HACCP SYSTEM
The World Health Organization recognized the
importance of the HACCP system for food safety at a
very early stage, and has been playing a leading role
in its promotion and development for almost 20
years.
At regional level, WHO promoted the HACCP
system at a very early date in its history. A technical
presentation made by WHO at a meeting in 1972 in
Argentina reported on the HACCP approach to food
safety (Quevedo, 1972) and the subject was then
introduced and discussed for a wider Latin American
audience at the Inter-American Conference on
Foodborne Infections organized by PAHO/WHO in
Guatemala in 1974 (Quevedo, 1976).
An international level, reference to the HACCP
system was first made in 1976 by the WHO Expert
Committee on Microbiological Aspects of Food
Hygiene (WHO, 1976). The recommendations made
by this Committee incited WHO to look more deeply
into the application of the HACCP system to
improve food safety. In 1980, the WHO/ICMSF
Meeting on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point System in Food Hygiene reviewed and evalu-
ated work carried out on the application of the
HACCP system and made recommendations on its
possible application in industrialized and developing
countries (WHO, 1982). The recommendations of
this Committee were later adopted by the Joint
FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Safety in
1983, which advised that the HACCP system should
replace traditional approaches to food safety assur-
ance, i.e. end-product testing (WHO, 1984).
Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2 79
Importance of HACCP for public health and development: Y. Motarjemi et al.
W H O has also pioneered the application of the
HACCP system to cottage industries, food service
establishments, street food vendors and homes. In
this connection, in 1988 the W H O Consultation on
Health Surveillance and Management Procedures of
Food Handling Personnel recommended application
of the HACCP system in the preparation of food and
education of food handlers (WHO, 1989). In the
same year, during a Consultation on Health Educa-
tion in Food Safety (WHO, 1988), the application of
the HACCP system was put forward for selection of
risky behaviours which should be subject to educa-
tional intervention. Since 1985 the application of the
HACCP system in food service establishments,
cottage industries, street food vending operations and
homes has been field-tested in a number of countries,
i.e. Dominican Republic, Peru, Pakistan, Malaysia
and Zambia (WHO, 1993). A book outlining the
application of the HACCP system to food prepara-
tion was also published in 1992 (Bryan, 1992). A
document on the application of the HACCP system
to street vended food is also under the preparation
(WHO, 1996).
In 1993, the W H O Consultation on Training
Considerations for the Application of the HACCP
System to Food Processing and Manufacturing Indus-
tries made recommendations on the role of govern-
ments and food industries in the application of the
HACCP system (WHO, 1993). The recommendations
of this Consultation formed the basis of numerous
training courses - some of them held jointly with the
Industry Council for Development (ICD) - in Argen-
tina, Belize, China, Indonesia, Jordan, Mexico,
Philippines, Thailand and Tunisia.
The highlight of W H O activities in the area of the
HACCP system has been the adoption of the Codex
Guidelines on the Application of the Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point system by the Codex Alimen-
tarius Commission (Geneva, 1993). Although several
Codex Codes had already accepted the HACCP
principles, the Guidelines were a breakthrough in the
history of the HACCP system, because until then
there had not been an internationally accepted text.
The Codex Code of Practice on General Principles
on Food Hygiene, presently under revision, also
underlines the importance of an HACCP-based
approach to ensure food safety, and recommends the
application of the Codex Guidelines. Subsequently,
all relevant Codes of Hygienic Practice may need to
be revised to include the HACCP system. These
Codex Guidelines, and other Codex recommenda-
tions, play a capital role in the promotion of the
HACCP system and in the haromonization of the
approach to its application. As a result of the recent
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement reached under
the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotia-
tions, the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commis-
sion, including its standards, guidelines and
recommendations, has increased in importance and
has become the reference for international food
80 Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2
safety requirements. Subsequently, application of the
HACCP system by food businesses according to the
Codex Guidelines will play a central role in inter-
national trade as well as in the fight to prevent
foodborne diseases.
Both the concept of HACCP as well as the imple-
mentation of this system by food industries and
regulatory agencies are subjects which are evolving
rapidly. In line with the recommendations of the
International Conference on Nutrition, the World
Health Organization is committed to continuing
monitoring developments in this area, to providing
the most up to date scientific guidance on the
HACCP system, and to gathering and disseminating
available know-how and experiences in its implemen-
tation. WHO also intends to promote its application
in food industries and food control agencies bv
raising the awareness of policy-markers and facili-
tating training for different target groups and all the
relevant sectors.
P R O G R E S S IN T H E I M P L E M E N T A T I O N
OF THE HACCP SYSTEM AT
NATIONAL LEVEL
Industrialized countries
Today, the integration of the HACCP system into
food safety assurance systems by many countries.
particularly industrialized ones, is an established goal.
Up until recently, developments in the application of
the HACCP system have been outside the legislativc
framework, and many large food industries have
voluntarily adopted the HACCP system. Recently
there has been increasing interest on the part of
governments to integrate an HACCP system.
Recently there has been increasing interest on the
part of governments to integrate an HACCP-based
system into their legislation and food inspcci~on
service programmes. The European Union's Cotu]ci[
Directive (DIR/93/43/EEC) (Article 3.2) requires that
food business operators shall identity any step in thei;
activities which is critical to ensuring food safetv ane
ensure that adequate safety procedures are identified,
implemented, maintained and reviewed on the basis
of the principles of the HACCP system (EEC, 1993).
As a result, all food companies - large, medium and
small - in the European Union will be required to
have m place an effective HACCP system by mid-l)c-
cembcr 1995. Outside the EU, implementation of the
HACCP system has also had some success in Europe.
For example, in Romania, implementation of
HACCP has been facilitated by legislative provisions
(Order of the Ministry of Health, 25 May 1994)
(Daghie, 1995).
The implementation of the HACCP system m
North America is relatively more advanced, in the
USA, the National Marine Fisheries Service of the
US Department of Commerce is moving towards a
mandato U HACCP-based inspection programme.
 Importance of HACCP for public health and development: Y. Motarjemi et al.
The US Department of Agriculture is also
considering using the HACCP system as a regulatory
tool for the safe production of meat and poultry
products. The FDA has drawn up a proposal to revise
its food safety regulatory programme and base its
new approach on the principles of the HACCP
system (USFDA, 1994). The FDA Food Code is also
recommending the application of the HACCP system
by food businesses (USFDA, 1995).
Some countries are also considering the require-
ment that imported food should meet the same
HACCP requirements as those stipulated for domes-
tically produced food. In relation to seafood, the
FDA is proposing that all domestic and foreign
processors adopt HACCP controls, and it is
proposing steps to ensure that the HACCP system is
in fact applied by foreign processors. The European
Union is also considering a similar requirement for
imported foods. The requirements stipulated by
importing countries like the USA and member
countries of the European Union have a major
impact on other countries' food industries as they
force them to adopt the HACCP system in order to
comply with the requirements of the importing
countries. For example, it was recently discovered
that the South African and Namibian white fish
companies did not fully comply with the requirements
of HACCP as interpreted by the European Union.
To comply with the requirements of the European
Union, considerable sums of money had to be
invested to upgrade their systems and to train their
staff accordingly (Von Holy, 1995).
Some other countries have taken a more gradual
and stepwise approach towards mandatory applica-
tion of the HACCP system. In New Zealand, for
example, the proposal is to have an interim, voluntary
HACCP-based food safety programme (Buckland,
1995). Such a gradual transition gives the authorities
as well as industry experience in the modalities for a
compulsory HACCP-based approach to food safety
programmes (New Zealand Ministry of Health,
1995).
However, most of the progress in implementing the
HACCP system has been achieved in medium and
large-scale food industries. Small businesses have had
greater difficulties in adapting to this system. To
support application of the HACCP system in small
businesses, some countries are increasing their efforts
to promote HACCP in this sector. For example, the
UK has developed specific guidelines for ensuring
food safety in catering industries, based on HACCP
principles (UK Department of Health, 1993).
Developing countries
There is increasing awareness about the importance
of the HACCP system in developing countries. Codex
Guidelines on the Application of the HACCP system
have been instrumental to this end. Certainly,
depending on the degree of development and
industrialization, the situation varies between
countries, and in general those countries with
important food exports are at a more advanced stage
in the implementation of an HACCP-based approach
to food safety assurance. Multinational food indus-
tries are generally the first to adopt voluntarily the
HACCP system.
Systematic implementation of an HACCP-based
approach to food safety assurance throughout the
developing world cannot be expected for some years
to come. The implementation of this sytem is gener-
ally hampered by lack of expertise and training in the
subject.
Meeting food export requirements has generally
been a strong motivation to introduce the HACCP
system. Therefore, the concept is better accepted and
increasingly integrated by food industries who are
targeting their products towards the export market,
particularly the fish and canning industries (Lina dos
Santos, 1995). A case in point is Morocco, where the
export fo fishery products has been an incentive to
revise and update fish inspection legislation to
include a mandatory HACCP-based food safety
assurance programme with the aim of obtaining EU
accreditation (Ababouch, 1995). Similar efforts are
also being made in the olive industry. Morocco is the
second largest exporting country of olives in the
world. In Thailand, the HACCP concept has been
successfully applied to low-acid canned food products
destined for the export market (Jirathana, 1995).
In Malaysia, the draft Food Import and Export
Regulations incorporate the HACCP system, and the
Ministry of Health has approved the implementation
of HACCP in some 27 food plants manufacturing
fishery products for export to the EU, Australia and
the USA (Merican, 1995). In Uruguay, efforts are
also being made to apply the HACCP system to the
meat industry which exports to the USA and
European countries. The HACCP system is also
receiving prominence in the Andean Trade Agree-
ment. The Member Countries of this Agreement,
Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, are
considering integrating the HACCP system into their
efforts to harmonize the regulations for production
and trade in foodstuffs (Ouevedo, 1995).
The impact of the food trade in the promotion of
the HACCP system has been significant, to such a
point that many exporting countries are adapting
their approach to the application of this system -
including training - to that used by the importing
countries.
Some developing countries are taking a regulatory
approach to promote HACCP in the food safety
system. In Malaysia, for example, the draft Food
Hygiene Regulations incorporate the HACCP system
(Merican, 1995) and the Ministry of Health, which is
responsible for the country's Food Act and its subse-
quent regulations, started to sensitize its staff to the
HACCP system in 1989, and since then some
hundreds of food inspectors, medical officers and
Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2 81
Importance of HACCP for public health and development: Y. Motarjemi et al.
food technologists have undergone training. Since
1990 the HACCP system has been incorporated into
the basic training curriculum for health inspectors. In
Brazil, the 'Technical Regulation for the Sanitary
Inspections of Foods' and the 'Technical Regulation
for the Establishment of the Quality and Identity
Standard for Services and Products in the Food Area'
give obligatory status to the use of the HACCP
system by the food industry. In Chile a draft law is
being prepared (Quevedo, 1995). Other countries,
e.g. Egypt, have chosen to implement the HACCP
system without legal procedures, and at least five out
of some 200 large food industries are introducing or
have already introduced the HACCP system (Saad,
1995).
In countries (or in food businesses) where food is
predominantly produced/processed by small or
artisanal industries for local consumption, the incen-
tive to introduce the HACCP system has been
weaker. Its implementation is perceived as an
exercise requiring a broad and high level of technical
expertise as well as important financial resources.
Concentration of functions, i.e. one person having
more than one responsibility, is experienced, causing
practical difficulties in the implementation of the
HACCP system, e.g. time, conflicts of interest.
However, in view of the high prevalence of
foodborne diseases in the developing world, and the
limitation of resources, the potential benefits that the
application of the HACCP system may afford in
comparison to the problems faced are more
important for developing countries:
• The current approach for ensuring food safety,
which is based on periodic, visual inspection of
fl~od facilities, and end-product testing by food
control laboratories, is resource-intensive. In many
developing countries, laboratory facilities for
microbial or chemical examination of food are
either lacking or deficient. Food inspectors may
not even have the necessary tools to inspect,
sample or transport food samples to control
laboratories. The HACCP system provides a cost-
effective and alternative approach to traditional
food control, permitting the food safety risks to be
pin-pointed without necessarily having to resort to
expensive microbiological and chemical analysis of
foods (except for verification purposes).
• The HACCP system also provides a basis for
prioritizing foods or highlighting food operations
which could pose a greater risk to health, thus
enabling resources to be focused on priority health
problems. As a result, there will be fewer but more
efficient inspections. The potential benefits, in
terms of resource savings, are therefore all the
more important for developing countries whose
economies are frail, and whose resources for
inspection and facilities for food analysis are scant.
In countries where foodborne disease surveillance
programmes are weak or non-existent, the HACCP
82 Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2
approach provides a valuable, alternative tool for
establishing priorities in fl)od safety programmcs.
• With present developments in international trade,
and tendencies leaning towards the requirement
that imported foods should be produced or
processed according to the HACCP system, if
developing countries fail to implement HAC('P-
based systems in their food production or
processing, they may well have their food exports
rejected on the basis of inadequate food safety
measures. The economy of most developing
countries is such that any food export barrier
imposed on the grounds of inadequate food safety
measures may have tremendous negative conse-
quences for the count~.
• However, over and above its importance from a
food export point of view, the HACCP system is ol
inestimable value in the prevention of foodbornc
diseases. In this context, it should be remembered
that the developing countries bear the heaviest
burden of foodborne diseases in thc world.
Governments in developing countries should
therefl)re give equal attention to the application of
the HACCP system when producing, processing,
manufacturing and preparing food for local
consumption.
Therefore, it is likely that in future the HA(;('P
system will be introduced into the legislative and
enforcement structure of developing countries, in
which case its adoption by small food industries will
become a matter of survival. And, the economic and
social stakes with regard to implementation of the
HACCP system in developing countries ~ue
considerable.
Although use of the HACCP system as a regula-
tory tool and as a food safety assurance system will
lead in the long term to resource savings due to a
reduction in the number of inspections, fewer cases
of foodborne diseases, and an increased food export
potential, in the initial phase of HACCP introduction
there will be a need for accrued resources, particu-
larly fl~r training food inspectors and food safety
assurance personnel. As many countries lack suffi-
cient expertise in the HACCP system, the inter-
national community (in particular international
organizations such as WHO, FAO, UNIDO and
ILO) have important roles to play in gathering
together expertise and experiences in industrialized
countries to make them available for introducing
HACCP in developing countries.
SOME RECENT INTERNATIONAL
D E V E L O P M E N T S IN T H E C O N C E P T
AND STRATEGY FOR IMPLEMENTING
THE HACCP SYSTEM
Worldwide interest in the application of the HACCP
system in food business or as an inspection tool by
regulatory agencies has generated needs with regard
 Importance of HACCP for public health and development: Y. Motarjemi et al.
to: (i) standardization of the approach to the applica-
tion of the HACCP system and the terminology used;
(ii) harmonization of the requirements regarding its
implementation, and the responsibilities of different
sectors; and (iii) guidance for training in the HACCP
system.
The Codex Guidelines for the Application of the
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system have
been instrumental in harmonizing the approach to
the application of the HACCP system and the
terminology used; however, these Guidelines contain
some ambiguities which, if allowed to persist, may
lead to a conflicting interpretation of the HACCP
system, and to impediments in the harmonization of
food safety requirements.
In this context, it should be recalled that the work
of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, including the
above-mentioned Guidelines, plays an important role
in health and international trade. In particular, the
Final Act which concluded the GATT Uruguay
Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations (and which
established the World Trade Organization) recog-
nizes, inter alia, Codex standards, guidelines and
recommendations as references for sound scientific
and adequate food safety requirements under its side-
agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures
(commonly referred to as the SPS Agreement).
Consequently, Codex texts will be used by WTO as
the basis for arbitration for trade disputes involving
health and safety issues.
Examples of problems which are encountered in
the interpretation and understanding of the Guide-
lines relate to definitions and terminology and
processes for identification of hazards and Critical
Control Points. In terms of definitions and termin-
ology, the term 'preventive measures' is misunder-
stood as it does not embody the notion of
minimization or elimination of hazards. There is also
a need to define terms such as control measures,
hazard analysis, and verification in order to ensure
consistent interpretation of the Guidelines. An
FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the Application
of Risk Analysis to Food Standards Issues (Geneva,
March 1995) made recommendations with regard to
the application of risk analysis in the HACCP system.
The report of that Consultation touches on some of
the terminology to be used in relation to HACCP
(e.g. hazard, risk), and points to the necessity for a
review of the definitions used in the Codex Guide-
lines (WHO, 1995).
Also, the Codex Guidelines do not convey the fact
that the decision tree used in the text is just an
example. Consequently, this decision tree is seen as
an impediment in using the Guidelines for raw
agricultural products. The guidance given for identi-
fication of hazards and determination of Critical
Control Point(s) is also found in practice to be
unclear and misleading.
The need to improve the Guidelines was acknow-
ledged at the time of their adoption. The publication
of the text was, though, not delayed for further
refinement at that time as it was considered to be too
important to be further postponed. However, the
implementation of the HACCP system is progressing
rapidly. Many countries are in the process of
integrating the HACCP system into their regulatory
mechanisms. In many countries, the application of
the HACCP system to imported food may also
become a mandatory requirement. As a result,
tremendous needs for training in the HACCP system
and for development of support materials have been
generated. It is a matter of urgency to provide the
necessary clarification with regard to the application
of the HACCP system.
Also, as countries become more and more com-
mitted to a move from prescriptive food hygiene rules
to an HACCP-based approach, guidance is needed
on strategies for its implementation. The role of
governments and industries needs to be clearly
defined. The W H O Consultation on Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point system to Food Manufacturing
(WHO, 1993), as well as the FAO Expert Technical
Meeting on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point Principles in Food Control (Vancouver,
December 1994) (FAO, 1995) addressed the role of
the different sectors in applying the HACCP system.
However, the need for an overall strategy for imple-
mentation of the HACCP system remained.
To address current problems and needs for further
guidance, W H O convened a Consultation in May
1995 with the participation of FAO. This meeting was
entitled Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System:
Concept and Application and had two main objectives:
(i) to examine problems met in applying the Codex
Guidelines for the Application of the Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point system and provide
recommendations on updates to the Guidelines;
and (ii) to review the implementation strategy for the
HACCP system (WHO, 1995).
FAO/WHO Codex Guidelines for the application of
the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system:
proposal for amendment
The Consultation reviewed the problems met with
regard to the interpretation and application of the
HACCP system and in particular those related to the
Codex Guidelines, and provided some amendments
which would ease their application. Among the more
significant changes, was a proposal to separate the
principles from the Guidelines for Application. This
suggestion was made in order to facilitate the integra-
tion of the HACCP principles into the national legis-
lation without actually regulating the application of
the HACCP system in detail. Definitions of the terms
'Critical Control Point', 'HACCP', 'hazard' and
'monitor' were revised, while definitions for some
other terms such as 'control', 'control measures',
'hazard analysis', 'step', 'verification', etc., were
developed. Also, the guidance given for steps 6 and 7
Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2 83
Importance of HACCP for public health and development: Y. Motarjemi et al.
relating to hazard identification and analysis as well
as determination of critical control points was revised
to make it explicitly clear that the suggested decision
tree was not applicable in all situations and that other
approaches may indeed be used.
Another major recommendation related to the
term 'Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system'
which does not easily translate into other languages.
It was r e c o m m e n d e d that the term should read:
"Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
system".
Strategy for the implementation of the HACCP
system
The Consultation developed some considerations for
the implementation of the H A C C P system by govern-
ment agencies and food industries. Among others,
the Consultation defined in detail their respective
roles. It also underlined the need for governments to
develop an implementation strategy which reflects the
needs of the country, and which is time and resource-
realistic. G r e a t e r emphasis was placed on this latter
issue, i.e.
• it was r e c o m m e n d e d that the time-scale be
adapted to allow enough time and opportunities
for training. Where legislation is enacted, sufficient
time should be given for training and implementa-
tion before enforcement action is taken.
• in the initial stages, the implementation of the
H A C C P system would require enormous resources
in terms of qualified personnel, technical support
facilities and financial inputs, particularly to ensure
necessary training. Therefore, both the private
sector and government should contribute to
mobilizing the necessary resources.
Consideration was also given to the pros and cons of
the mandatory application of the H A C C P system.
Although the Consultation did not prescribe any
r e c o m m e n d e d approach, it stressed that legislative or
regulatory approaches should concentrate on what is
to be achieved and not how it should be achieved,
and r e c o m m e n d e d that this latter issue rest firmly in
the domain of the food industry (Majewski, 1995).
Moreover, the Consultation pointed out the need for
both an internal and an independent assessment of
the H A C C P system. The latter may be carried out by
either regulatory agencies and/or a third party.
A major recommendation for future evolution in
the area of the H A C C P system regarded the develop-
ment of an H A C C P system based on quantitative risk
assessment.
The Consultation was followed by a two-day
Workshop on Training Aspects of the Hazard Analysis
Criiical Control Point System (Geneva, 1-2 June
1995). The Workshop reviewed experiences in
training in the H A C C P system and r e c o m m e n d e d
outlines for training different target groups, i.e. food
industries and food inspectors; small food businesses
84 Food Control 1996 Volume 7 Number 2
and related food inspectors; and street food vendors
(WHO, 1996).
CONCLUSION
The H A C C P system is an effective tool for a food
safety assurance. Its, application for the prevention of
foodborne diseases is of tremendous value, and in
international food trade its application has become
indispensable. Progress in its implementation varies
from country to country and depends on the commit-
ment and recognition of policy-makers as well as the
funds which are made available for this specific
purpose. In developing countries, lack of expertise
and resources for training are two of the impedi-
ments to progress in its implementation, and most of
the progress made has been with regard to food for
international trade. Paradoxically, these countries arc
those which have the greatest need for this system,
because of the high prevalence of foodborne diseases
and lack of resources to meet the high costs of tradi-
tional approaches.
H A C C P is evolving. Worldwide, the interest in the
application of H A C C P in the food industries is
growing, and regulatory agencies are being adapted
to make their inspection systems compatible with the
industry-based H A C C P system. Both progress and
problems encountered in the implementation of the
H A C C P system must be monitored on a regular
basis, and guidance on this subject should be
updated. The recent W H O Consultation on Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point System: Concept and
Application (held with the participation of FAO) has
been a step towards this objective ( W H O , 1995).
Training in H A C C P for food inspectors and
personnel in food businesses will be a key to its
successful implementation, provided that the training
is standardized so that a common understanding is
developed between food businesses and food
inspectors.
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