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CONSULTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS\n\nStrategies for\nImplementing HACCP\nin Small and/or Less\nDeveloped Businesses\n\nReport of a WHO Consultation\nin collaboration with the Ministry of Health,\nWelfare and Sports, The Netherlands\n\nThe Hague, 16-19 June 1999\n\nFOOD SAFETY PROGRAMME\nDEPARTMENT OF PROTECTION OF THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT\nWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION This document is available on the Internet at:\nhttp://www.who.int/fsf\n\nCopies may be requested from:\nWorld Health Organization\nFood Safety Programme\nCH-1211 Geneva 27\nE.mail: foodsafety@who.int\nFax: +41 22 791 48 07\n\n© World Health Organization, 1999\n\nThis document is not a formal publication of the World Health Organization (WHO), and all rights are reserved by the Organization. The document may, however, be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced and translated, in part or in whole, but not for sale nor for use in conjunction with commercial purposes.\n\nThe views expressed in documents by named authors are solely the responsibility of those authors. Contents\n\nAbbreviations\n\n1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 1\n2. Background ................................................................................................. 2\n3. Objectives ................................................................................................... 3\n4. Scope ........................................................................................................... 3\n5. Strategies for implementing HACCP in Small and/or Less Developed \n Businesses (SLDBs) ............................................................................... 4\n 5.1 Benefits of and Barriers to Implementing HACCP ............................ 5\n 5.2 Overcoming Barriers - Promoting and Implementing HACCP in SLDBs ... 6\n 5.3 Advice on Development of Sector-Specific Industry Guides ........... 14\n 5.4 Guidelines for the Application of the HACCP System to SLDBs ....... 19\n\n6. Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................... 26\n\nAnnex 1 List of Participants ..................................................................... 27\nAnnex 2 List of Background Papers .......................................................... 29\nAnnex 3 Glossary ...................................................................................... 31 Abbreviations\n\nCAC \t\tCodex Alimentarius Commission\nCCFH \t\tCodex Committee on Food Hygiene\nCCP \t\tCritical Control Point\nCM \t\tControl Measures\nFAO \t\tFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations\nGHP \t\tGood Hygienic Practices\nGMP \t\tGood Manufacturing Practices\nHACCP \t\tHazard Analysis and Critical Control Point\nPRP \t\tPrerequisite Programme (see also Glossary under \"Prerequisites for HACCP\")\nSLDB \t\tSmall and/or Less Developed Business\nWHO \t\tWorld Health Organization\nWTO \t\tWorld Trade Organization 1. Introduction\nThe World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, The Netherlands, convened a Consultation on the Development of a Strategy for the Implementation of HACCP in Small and/or Less Developed Businesses. The Consultation took place in The Hague, the Netherlands, 16-19 June 1999. The list of participants is presented in Annex I.\n\nThe meeting was opened by Dr Henk Verburg, Chief Veterinary Public Health Officer, Inspectorate for Health Protection, The Netherlands. In addressing the Consultation, Dr Verburg explained a major role of the Inspectorate in the Netherlands is to enhance safety of food produced and distributed by small businesses. Like in many parts of the world, small food businesses represent a large proportion of food enterprises and are responsible for a large share of food consumed by the population. Many of them still lack adequate food safety management programmes and do not meet the national or European Union requirements. Dr Verburg emphasized the significance of microbiological contamination of food and the need for improving the safety of food produced and prepared by small businesses for better consumer protection and expressed his support for the work that the Consultation was undertaking.\n\nOn behalf of the WHO, Dr Yasmin Motarjemi, WHO Food Safety Programme, welcomed the participants of the Consultation. She explained that one of the key roles of the WHO Food Safety Programme is to promote food safety and provide guidance on how to achieve this. From a number of years, WHO has promoted the application of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system in food enterprises. In a series of consultations and workshops, the Organization has enhanced the common understanding of the HACCP system by harmonizing the terminology and the approach for its application. WHO has also placed particular importance on the application of a HACCP approach to strengthening the training and education of food handlers in cottage industries, restaurants and street food vendors. indicated that a large proportion of foodborne diseases results from poor hygienic handling of food in small businesses, which may in itself be a reflection of poor management practices. Thus, the importance of this Consultation which aims to address the problems faced by small and/or less developed businesses (SLDBs) with regard to food safety and, in particular, implementation of HACCP.\n\nDr Motarjemi thanked all the participants and representatives of organizations present for having accepted the WHO invitation and expressed appreciation to those governments, institutes and organizations that have supported their participation. She thanked the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports of the Netherlands, in particular Dr Jaap Jansen, for hosting the meeting.\n\nIn closing, Dr Motarjemi stated that the outcome of the Consultation was an important first step in examining and addressing the problems of SLDBs. She hoped that the recommendations of the Consultation would be widely disseminated and seriously considered by the health and food control authorities in Member States. Any feedback on the practicability of the recommendations was welcome and would be taken into consideration when further developing the strategy.\n\nThe Consultation elected Mr John Barnes as Chairperson, Ms Zahara Mercian as Vice-Chairperson, and Mr Jeffrey Brown as Rapporteur. The deliberations of the Consultation were based on a number of background papers (listed in Annex 2) and the work carried out by working groups led by Dr Jaap Jansen, Prof. Michiel van Schothorst, and Mr Richard Soum. Netherlands was requested to review the problems of this sector and develop specific recommendations on this issue. A meeting was held in The Hague, in April 1998, in which delegates from 12 countries from different parts of the world, representatives of the Codex Secretariat, WHO and the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods participated. The meeting discussed the problems of developing countries and small food industries and identified a number of barriers to the implementation of the HACCP system that warrant reflection and recommendations for ways to overcome them.\n\nIt was recognized that, regardless of the stage of development of a country, small businesses usually have greater difficulties in implementing HACCP and that the 'Codex Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System and Guidelines for Its Application' is developed from the perspective of large food industries and not well-adapted to small businesses. It was concluded that governments and professional trade bodies have a clear role to play in facilitating the implementation of HACCP in small businesses and other food businesses with less developed food safety management systems (referred to as less developed businesses), and that there is a need to develop specific guidelines for them.\n\nThe outcome of the meeting was presented at the Thirty-First Session of the CCFFH (Orlando, 26-30 October 1998) and led to an extensive discussion on the subject. Delegates from many countries and representatives of FAO and WHO recognized the importance of the subject and supported further work in this field, in particular the development of guidelines for the application of HACCP in SLDBs. to the number of staff or volume of production. The Consultation addressed the implementation of HACCP in SLDBs in both developing and industrialized countries.\n\nAs an initial step in the development of a strategy for the implementation of HACCP in SLDBs, the Consultation reviewed the benefits and barriers to the implementation of HACCP in SLDBs. Emphasis was placed on the identification and examination of potential barriers, and developing guidance on ways to overcome these.\n\n5. Strategies for implementing HACCP in Small and/or Less Developed Businesses (SLDBs)\n\nCertain external conditions (e.g. regulations, market forces, expectations for due diligence, or promotion by public health and food control authorities) are increasing the pressure on the SLDBs to apply HACCP. SLDBs have in the past been discouraged from utilizing HACCP because of the guidance provided, which proved to be too complex for them. However, the seven principles of HACCP can be applied to all business processes or preparing food, irrespective of size or nature of their work, provided that food business operators have been adequately trained and have access to necessary equipment, practical support materials and information.\n\nWhere they are not able to develop and implement all the elements of the HACCP system by themselves, they will need external support. However, if SLDBs are to successfully implement HACCP, they will need to have management commitment to the process and be able to perform, at least, activities relating to the process description, monitoring, corrective actions and record keeping. Even when an SLDB does not have the ability to perform, on its own, all the essential elements of HACCP, a responsible and adequate food safety management system should still be the goal of the business.\n\nAn important consideration in implementing HACCP in SLDBs is the recognition that there exists a counterdependence between HACCP and prerequisite programmes (PRP). Prior to implementing HACCP, businesses must be engaged in good hygienic practices (GHP). By first implementing GHP, the difficulties associated with implementing HACCP are minimized and implementation...\n\nThere is a need for governments to encourage regulators, industry, educational institutes and, where appropriate, independent experts to accept their role in assisting SLDBs in applying HACCP. It is the key role of all stakeholders, including governments, industry, consumers and the media, to overcome barriers to implement HACCP. It is important for these stakeholders to consult and work together to determine priorities and time-scales for implementing HACCP. Initiatives to implement HACCP in SLDBs may be local, regional, national or international. Initiatives may also be general or focus on sectors (i.e. street vendors, food manufacturers, and food service).\n\nIn order to help facilitate strategies for the implementation of HACCP in SLDBs, the Consultation specifically considered three issues:\n\nPrerquisite programmes refer to all practices and conditions needed prior to and during the implementation of HACCP and which are essential for food safety, as described in the Codex Alimentarius Commission's General Principles of Food Hygiene and other Codes of Practice.