Integrating Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Sanitation for Verifiable Food Safety

Reliable, verifiable food safety requires the application of technologically correct methods in a systematic way. This requires making a distinction between sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and integrating these two systems into one food safety system. Although sanitation and HACCP share the same goal of producing safe food products, the focus of sanitation is on the environment surrounding the food to prevent contamination, whereas the focus of HACCP is on controlling hazards intrinsic to food materials. Together they provide the organizational base for applying the correct methods and procedures to ensure and verify that food served is safe for foodservice clients. These approaches also provide records that demonstrate that food safety measures have been planned and completed as planned. One way to demonstrate a responsible approach to food safety is to understand the differences between sanitation and HACCP and to build approaches to food safety that use both of these systems. The resulting integrated system has a better chance of controlling all the hazards than either system by itself. J Am Diet Assoc. 1997; 97: 889–891.