Food Safety

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code 2009, Annex 4, in order to make a positive impact on foodborne illness, retail and food service operators must achieve active managerial control of the risk factors contributing to foodborne illness. Combined with basic sanitation, employee training, and other prerequisite programs, the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) provide an effective system for achieving this objective.

The goal in applying HACCP principles in retail and food service is to have the operator take purposeful actions to ensure food safety. The process approach simplifies HACCP principles for use in retail and food service. This practical and effective method of hazard control embodies the concept of active managerial control by providing an on-going system of simple control measures that will reduce the occurrence of risk factors that lead to out-of-control hazards.

The role of retail and food service regulatory professionals is to conduct risk-based inspections using HACCP principles to assess the degree of control industry has over foodborne illness risk factors. Regulators can assist industry in achieving active managerial control of risk factors by using a risk-based inspection approach to identify strengths and weaknesses, with suggestions for possible solutions and improvements.

Registered Environmental Health Specialists (REHS, California and Oregon) and Registered Sanitarians (RS, Washington) at HygieneTech can provide onsite training and facility audits regarding food safety program management. In addition, our REHS/RS personnel are registered instructors and will be able to provide nationally recognized and required food safety training and certification for food establishment managers and supervisors.