Since its inception in the 1970s, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) methodology has evolved as the leading food safety strategy used by the food industry. HACCP is a systems approach that identifies where potential contamination, time and temperature problems can occur (the critical control points). HACCP strictly manages and monitors these points to ensure that a process is under control. It mandates record-keeping providing traceability and verification.
In 1996, USDA mandated HACCP-based inspection for meat and poultry, while the FDA adopted a HACCP program for seafood inspection. In 1998, the FDA endorsed HACCP for fresh fruits and vegetables.
A recall program plan is a prerequisite to HACCP implementation. Unfortunately, many of the tools to effectively implement HACCP are currently lacking, as witnessed by the number of foodborne disease outbreaks and food recalls occurring just in the past decade. The key missing technologies are real-time microbial detection, traceability and source identification.
As indicated in a February 2001 report by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), concerns for food safety and implications resulting from foodborne pathogens are ever-present. While technology, innovation, transportation and regulation have enhanced and secured aspects of the food-supply chain, these same factors have contributed to new concerns for food safety.
The report, IFT Expert Report on Emerging Microbiological Food Safety Issues: Implications for Control in the 21st Century, outlines three areas that make up the landscape of food-safety concerns:
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age; immunosuppressive conditions; pregnancy; presence or history of chronic disease |
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production consolidating; global sourcing; fluctuating global temperatures; ready-to-eat, low-fat and other novel food-processing methods |
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pathogen mutation; pathogen virulence |
In discussing the management of the food safety framework in ensuring a safe food supply, the report gives credence to efforts like AUDFS:
Microbiological food safety is not an issue only for microbiologists. Just as the farm-to-table approach to food safety has provided an overall picture of food safety management, many scientific disciplines contribute to our knowledge about food safety. The scientific community must pull together multidisciplinary teams that combine microbiology, epidemiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, immunology and other areas of expertise to enhance our right quoteunderstanding of the interrelated factors that drive emerging food safety issues.
