A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry October 1995
Contents: Raw-milk cheese and listeriosis | Food additives in Japan | Exporting to Korea | Australian and New Zealand food standards to merge | Safe Food Handling- HACCP | Modified Atmosphere Packaging
Safe Food Handling- HACCP
In the March issue of this newsletter, we noted the proposed reforms outlined for food hygiene regulations by the National Food Authority in their discussion paper, Safe Food Handling - Australia. Corresponding changes are in train in the United States and the European Union.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has regulatory responsibility for seafood products and all non-meat items, while the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) has regulatory responsibility for meat and poultry products. Both agencies have initiated rulemaking which, if finalized, will make HACCP mandatory for much of the U.S. food supply and for imported foods in the same categories.
The USDA/FSIS has issued a proposed rule on 'Pathogen Reduction, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)' which has been termed the 'mega-rule.' The proposal has a number of key components including pathogen reduction measures, mandatory Salmonella testing, sanitation requirements and HACCP. Many items in the proposal are controversial, especially the proposed requirement for microbiological testing of raw meats for the presence of Salmonella and compliance with specific baseline target levels.
Foreign governments have submitted comments to the USDA endorsing the use of HACCP programmes to help reduce pathogens in meat and poultry products. However spirited debate continues about the specifics of the USDA proposal. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) has stressed the need for the USDA to recognize that alternative approaches may yield the same outcomes defined in the proposed rule. Extensive comments from AQIS provide USDA with a number of specific recommendations.
[Note: A fulltext copy of this rule is available on this server, (440 Kb text file). Also available is a recent (Oct. 24) response by the USDA to issues raised in comments on the proposed rule (57 Kb text file).]
Meanwhile the FDA has commenced a pilot study with seven major US food companies to help determine if HACCP is practical as a means of regulatory control for the food industry. At a recent (December 1994) meeting of technical experts sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, a number of questions were raised about the mandatory use of HACCP plans in the food industry. The meeting, reported in FAO Food and Nutrition Paper no. 58, uncovered problems with definitions, preventive measures, acceptable levels and verification of plans. The question of second and third party certification of HACCP plans was also discussed.
Similar concerns were raised by some participants in the First Australian HACCP Conference in Sydney in September. Information provided at the conference, however, indicates that the National Food Authority (NFA) will have a draft food hygiene standard incorporating mandatory HACCP plans out for comment in December of this year. A final standard (not a Code of Practice) is scheduled for July 1996.
Food Science Australia
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