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Another study on HACCP and small business

A paper cited in the report summarised above also addresses the use of HACCP in small businesses in the UK (Food Control 12 2002 217). Titled 'HACCP in small companies: benefit or burden?', the author lists the main barriers to HACCP implementation by small businesses as the availability of appropriate training, access to technical expertise, and the general resource problems of time and money. The burden that these place on small businesses in particular in terms of documentation, validation and verification is discussed.

The situation described in the UK is not dissimilar from that currently found in Australia. The author, from the School of Leisure, Hospitality and Food Management at the University of Salford, notes that change in larger companies has been primarily customer driven (the large supermarket chains) but this has had little impact on smaller operations where the customer is often the end-user. She states that 'the typical owner/manager has yet to be convinced that HACCP is either practical or effective in the context of his business'. She further states that since there is no evidence of the latter, despite various on-going pilot studies, it is perhaps premature for the Government to enforce such radical change at this juncture.

This author also suggests a staged approach but not one that is linked to licensing. She suggests a developmental approach which concentrates on:
1. the installation of a fully operational system of Good Hygienic Practice;
2. HACCP studies to identify specific areas which need additional control;
3. the development of valid CCP control measures and monitoring routines; and
4. appropriate systems of verification and review.

'This would need to be phased in, over perhaps a period of years, and therefore relies on an on-going support network at local level.'

Both these studies tend to confirm what was always predictable. Small food businesses face special problems when trying to implement HACCP. This is possibly even more pronounced in catering rather than processing or retail situations. A strong support system will need to be in place for an extended period if HACCP is to be successfully implemented in this type of business.

Small businesses dealing directly with the public account for a significant part of the food industry and must be brought under the food safety net in the most effective way possible.

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Prepared by Keith Richardson and Rachel Jackson
Food Science Australia
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