Abstracto

HACCP approach to Food Safety

Abdul Azeez Mullattu

Introduction: The way that food is produced and distributed has undergone fundamental changes in recent decades particularly in Dubai and Middle Eastern region. The food safety area has become more complex, driven by widespread changes in methods of food production and processing, coupled with rapid increases in global food trade and increased tourism. Consumers today are demanding more meaningful information about food safety and quality. To meet this demand, some companies are engaging third-party audit bodies to provide greater assurance that their products meet quality and safety requirements. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the level of implementation and operation of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) and PRPs (Prerequisite Programme) as per the codex alementarious commission protocol of 12 logical steps and codex GHP(Good Hygiene Practices) Methods: Both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques of in-depth interviews, observations and review of documents were used in this study to complement each other The triangulation method used in this research was to look at the problems from different angles, Five cluster random samples were collected from the sampling frame of 112 food manufacturing companies of DM FCD(Dubai Municipality Food Control Department) list. Results: Research identified lower compliance rates of Good Hygiene practices (PRPs) which compromise 37.4% for the sampled factories and 31.8% compliance rate for HACCP protocol logical step. A number of barriers to the successful implementation and operation of HACCP and also perceived benefits. Barriers included various aspects like difficulties in identifying hazards, an inadequacy of knowledge. Significance: Findings from this study is aimed to provide insights into a fairly new but evolving research area of HACCP Implementation in the food manufacturing sector in the Emirates. The outcomes of this study are expected to have national implications for the enhancement of food safety management system implementation through effective training and enforcement.