HACCP Certification

Why should you buy our company's barbequed beef ? The answer is simple, as our company is HACCP Certified, this is to ensure that the product in which you have purchased from us is wholesome. Thus is our way of ensuring that you receive only the best from us. 

So firstly what is HACCP ??

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is an internationally accepted technique used to prevent microbiological, chemical and physical contamination along the food supply chain, in our case during the production of the barbequed beef. 

The HACCP technique encompasses identifying the risks, establishing critical control points, setting critical limits, and ensuring control measures are validated, verified and monitored before implementation.

The effective implementation of HACCP will improve the ability of our company to; promote consumer confidence and conform to regulatory and market requirements. 

HACCP in relation to our barbequed beef. 

Through out the production and processing of our barbequed beef , we have identified the possible hazards and this has allowed us to come up with 3 Critical Control Point. They are; the weighing of sodium nitrite, the barbequing process and last but not least the metal detection process. These three steps have been identified as critical points which need to be carefully monitored and controlled. 

1.Weighing of sodium nitrite

This is important as sodium nitrite has the ability to inhibit the proliferation of Clostridium Botulinum which is a spore former. This meaning even with the application of heat in the smoking and barbequing. If Clostridium Botulinum were to be present it will not be eliminated or killed. And therefore the weighing of this preservative is very critical as it will help in ensuring that our product is safe for consumption. To ensure this the quantity of sodium nitrite will be verified using a calibrated weighing scale this will occur at every batch of production. This microorganisms is harmful as Clostridium Botulinum produces a potent neurotoxin- botulism which can result in fatality if present in large amounts. This is why it is of utmost importance to us to ensure that this microorganisms is inhibited. 

2. Barbequing process

This step is a CCP as this step involves the application of heat. The barbequing temperature is 95^oC. At this temperature all of the microorganism which were identified as potential hazards will be killed by the barbequing temperature. Microorganism such as Listeria Monocytogenes will be inactivated at temperatures above 70^oC. Clostridium Botulinum toxins will be inactivated by heating at 85^oC for more than 1 minute with an exception for the spores, Escherichia Coli and Escherichia Coli 0157:H7  is rapidly inactivated by heat while Clostridium Perfringens the vegetative cells are destroyed by heating or by freezing while the enterotoxins inactivated by heating for 5 minutes at 70^oC. This step is therefore critical in eliminating the presence of these microbes. However as preventive measures such as good personal hygiene, the wearing of gloves, Good Manufacturing Practices and putting the staff through a compulsory basic food hygiene course this occurrence of these microbes are unlikely or low. To monitor the barbequing temperature, a infrared thermometer will be used to verify the temperature. The thermometer will be calibrated at the start of every production and it will be verified by the operator. 

3. Metal detector

This step has also been identified as CCP because it is very critical to ensure that there is no metal pieces present in the barbequed beef. This is because the presence of metal pieces can result in fatality or serious injuries. This can greatly destroy the company's reputation and may cause consumers to lose faith in our product in a worse case scenario it may cause the company to go close down if business does not pick up. Therefore the company will be using a metal detector machine to ensure the absence of metal pieces in the end product. The presence of metal pieces will not be tolerated and any end products with metal will be discarded. These metal pieces if present would originate from the cutting blade which is mince and cut to beef respectively. The operator will verify that the machine is functioning at it's optimum by testing the machine by passing a stainless steel piece through the machine before the end product is pass through. 

Therefore in conclusion, these 3 steps have been identified as CCP as if not closely monitored and checked may lead to undesirable consequences. All in all these is our company's three CCP. 

RACHEL BOEN 

Manitoba. (N.A.). Foodborne Pathogens Facts. Available: http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/foodsafety/processor/pdf/cfs02s120a.pdf. Last accessed 29th March 2011.