During
the past decades, the quest for safety has been challenged by important changes
in food production, such as innovations in manufacturing processes, reduced
intervals between production and consumption, increased product shelf life, and
increased prevalence of some microorganisms. Data from the World Health
Organization show that, in 2005, 1.8 million people died of gastroenteritis
caused by contaminated food and water. In spite of the technological progress
in food production and control, the occurrence of these diseases has recently
increased, even in developed countries. Food hazards or contamination may come
from primary production, still on the farm, from inadequate handling or storage
in the food industry, or from errors during preparation at home or in other
places where the food is consumed.
However,
HACCP will only become effective when its principles are correctly and broadly
applied at all stages of the food production chain. Some of the reasons for the
recent increase in FBD frequency all over the world may be failures in
implementation or limited application of HACCP, mainly in small companies; lack
of knowledge of the final consumer, keeping inadequate food handling practices
alive; and low rates of HACCP adoption in developing countries, where most of
the FBD outbreaks occur. HACCP generally involves high fixed costs related to
the creation of the plan, training of the workers, and acquisition of
equipment, requiring an economy of scale.
As
for the advantages attributed to the HACCP system, there are several recognized
benefits, many of them of an intangible nature or difficult to quantify. The
main beneficiary is the consumer, because the system may ensure food safety and
lead to the production of higher-quality products. Benefits to the public
sector are related to the reduction in costs for public health services and
sick leaves, besides making it easier for regulatory agencies to monitor
processes and products, saving time in audits and decreasing costs in the
analyses.
However,
the companies are beneficiaries of most of the advantages of HACCP
implementation, by becoming aligned with governmental regulations, and reducing
the number of incidents related to the production of unsafe food. The economic advantages
are related to better control of the process, less reprocessing of products,
decrease in raw material and finished product losses, reduction in
microbiological counts and consequent increased shelf life of the products, and
gains in production efficiency.
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