Basic terms of HACCP certification

Hazard​
Refers to the biological, chemical and physical factors in food that may affect human health.
Common hazards include:
Y Biological pollution: pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins, parasites, and poisonous animals and plants.
Y Chemical pollution: pesticides, detergents, antibiotics, heavy metals, abuse of additives, etc.
Y Physical pollution: metal fragments, glass slag, stones, wood chips and radioactive materials, etc.
★Hazard Analysis (HA)
Refers to the collection and analysis of relevant hazards and the conditions that lead to their occurrence and existence; assessing the severity and risk of hazards to determine the nature, extent and potential impact on human health of the hazards to determine which hazards are important for food safety.
Hazards that cause foodborne illness can be divided into three categories:
Y Life-threatening agents (LI) : such as Clostridium botulinum, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhimurium, tetrodotoxin, paralytic shellfish toxins, etc.
Y Factors that cause serious consequences or chronic diseases (SI) : such as Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter jejuni, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, hepatitis A virus, pathogenic Escherichia coli, etc.
Y Factors that cause moderate or mild illness (MI) : such as Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, most parasites, histamine substances, etc.
Severity
Refers to the size of a hazard or the severity of the consequences when a hazard exists.
It should be emphasized that the severity varies with the dose and the individual. Generally, the higher the dose, the more severe the disease. High-risk groups ( such as infants, patients, and the elderly ) are more sensitive to microbial hazards than healthy adults, and the consequences of their illness are more serious.
★ Risk
An estimate of the likelihood of a hazard occurring. Hazards can be classified as high (H) , medium (M) , low (L) and negligible (N) .
★Critical Control Point (CCP)
Refers to an operation step at which one or more hazards can be eliminated or minimized by applying a preventive or control measure.
Critical control points can be divided into two types: CCP1 and CCP2 . CCP1 refers to an operation link that can eliminate or prevent hazards, such as high temperature sterilization. CCP2 refers to an operation link that can minimize hazards or delay the occurrence of hazards to the greatest extent, but cannot completely eliminate hazards, for example, refrigerating perishable foods.
★Control Measures
Refers to the indicators used to determine whether control measures are effectively implemented. Standards can be sensory indicators, such as color, aroma, and taste; physical indicators, such as time and temperature; chemical indicators, such as salt content and pH value; and microbiological characteristic indicators such as the total number of colonies and the number of pathogenic bacteria.
★ Monitor ​
Refers to the planned and continuous testing of control indicators to evaluate whether a CCP is under control.
Deviation​
Refers to failure to reach key indicator limits.
★ Step :
Refers to a point, step, operation or stage in the food chain from primary product to final consumption.
Verification​ ​
Apply different methods, procedures, tests and other evaluation means to determine whether food production meets the requirements of the HACCP plan.