HACCP has become an international standard in food
safety assurance. Recommended or mandatory use of HACCP is found in the
regulations of several countries, and governments, industries, and consumers
are showing a growing acceptance of the system.
Even in countries where HACCP is not mandatory,
training of inspectors is based on this methodology. Some of the reasons for
the adoption of HACCP by the food industry are responses to legal requirements,
interest in export markets, anticipation of future requirements, and need to
lower costs or to increase food safety.
Studies have shown that HACCP adoption is related to
the size of the company and to the market where it is established. Export
companies, because of their need and interest in maintaining access to markets,
are motivated to meet the standards determined by other countries. This is also
true for large companies: they have greater financial resources, and personnel
with the necessary technical knowledge, making the adoption of the system
easier. The lack of clear understanding of HACCP principles, the implementation
process, and the costs/benefits involved is a barrier for the voluntary
adoption of the system.
Other obstacles and difficulties faced by smaller
companies are lack of knowledge of the principles of the system, and how they
would fit into their reality (methodology), lack of knowledgeable technical
personnel (particularly in hazard identification and monitoring), difficulty in
record keeping , and greater turnover of employees. However, many of these
problems stems from
the fact that, most of the time, managers and employees are not adequately
trained, making these companies depend on external consultants.
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