NUFS 427: L16-Food Safety Regulations and Policy

What is Codex Alimentarius?

A collection of international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice.

What does Codex Alimentarius mean in Latin?

Food Code.

What is the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)?

A global body that develops international food safety and quality standards.

When and by whom was the CAC established?

In 1963 by the FAO and WHO.

What are the main goals of Codex Alimentarius?

Protect consumer health, ensure fair food trade, and promote food quality.

Why does CAC harmonize international food regulations?

To reduce regulatory differences and facilitate international trade.

How does Codex support national food regulations?

Provides international standards and guidelines for countries to adopt.

As of 2026, how many members does CAC have?

188 member countries and 1 member organization, the EU.

What does SPS stand for?

Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.

What is the purpose of the SPS Agreement?

Protect human, animal, and plant health through science-based measures.

How does the SPS Agreement recognize Codex?

As an international reference for food safety standards.

Can countries set stricter food safety standards than Codex?

Yes, if scientifically justified and consistent with SPS requirements.

What trade restrictions apply to SPS measures?

They must not create arbitrary or unjustifiable barriers to international trade.

What does TBT stand for?

Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement.

What is the main purpose of the TBT Agreement?

Prevent unnecessary trade barriers caused by technical regulations and standards.

How does the TBT Agreement relate to Codex?

Encourages relevant international standards, including applicable Codex standards.

What does the TBT Agreement promote in international trade?

Transparency and consistency in technical regulations.

What is the key difference between SPS and TBT?

SPS covers health protection measures; TBT covers other technical regulations and standards.

What is Health Canada's role in food safety?

Develops food safety policies, standards, risk assessments, and nutrition policies.

What is the CFIA's role in food safety?

Enforces food safety regulations, inspects facilities, investigates contamination, and manages recalls.

What is the PHAC's role in food safety?

Conducts disease surveillance, investigates foodborne outbreaks, and provides public education.

What is Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's role?

Supports agricultural research, market access, and agricultural policy.

What are provincial and territorial governments responsible for?

Regulating and inspecting establishments within their jurisdictions and investigating outbreaks.

What is Indigenous Services Canada's role in food safety?

Supports food safety education and public health services for First Nations and Inuit communities.

What does HACCP stand for?

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.

What is HACCP?

A systematic approach to identifying, evaluating, and controlling food safety hazards.

When was HACCP originally developed?

During the 1960s.

Who originally developed HACCP?

NASA, Pillsbury Company, and U.S. Army Laboratories.

Why was HACCP originally developed?

To ensure highly reliable food safety for astronauts during space missions.

What happened to HACCP during the 1970s-1980s?

It entered the food industry and gained recognition from the WHO.

What happened to HACCP during the 1990s?

Codex adopted HACCP, and many countries incorporated it into food safety regulations.

What are prerequisite programs (PRPs)?

Basic conditions and activities required to maintain a safe food production environment.

Why are PRPs important for HACCP?

They provide the foundation of basic hygiene and safety controls.

What facility-related controls are examples of PRPs?

Proper building design, maintenance, and hygienic facilities.

What sanitation-related controls are examples of PRPs?

Cleaning, sanitizing, and pest control.

What equipment-related controls are examples of PRPs?

Equipment maintenance, calibration, and safe utility systems.

What personnel-related controls are examples of PRPs?

Handwashing, personal hygiene, and food safety training.

What is preliminary HACCP step 1?

Assemble a multidisciplinary HACCP team and appoint a team leader.

Why should the HACCP team be multidisciplinary?

To combine expertise from production, quality assurance, engineering, and other departments.

Who may be included in a HACCP team?

QA, production, engineering, procurement, HR, and external experts.

What is preliminary HACCP step 2?

Describe the end product, including its intended use.

What information belongs in a HACCP product description?

Ingredients, processing, packaging, storage, shelf life, and distribution.

What does intended use mean in HACCP?

How the consumer is expected to prepare and consume the product.

Why must the HACCP team identify the target market?

To identify vulnerable consumers and potential food safety risks.

Why is a detailed product description necessary?

To identify potential hazards and determine appropriate controls.

What is preliminary HACCP step 3?

Develop process flow diagrams and a plant layout.

What is a process flow diagram?

A clear, sequential representation of every food processing step.

Why must utilities appear in a process flow diagram?

To identify where inputs such as water, air, or steam enter the process.

Why should rework and waste streams appear in flow diagrams?

They may introduce contamination or affect food safety.

What should a plant layout show?

Equipment locations, personnel and product movement, facilities, and contamination routes.

Why must HACCP flow diagrams and plant layouts be verified on-site?

To confirm they accurately represent actual processing conditions.

What is HACCP Principle 1?

Conduct a hazard analysis.

What three types of hazards are evaluated in HACCP?

Biological, chemical, and physical hazards.

How are food safety hazards evaluated?

Assess likelihood of occurrence, severity, and significance.

What must be identified for significant food safety hazards?

Control measures to prevent, eliminate, or reduce hazards to safe levels.

What is HACCP Principle 2?

Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs).

What is a Critical Control Point (CCP)?

A step where control is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.

What is HACCP Principle 3?

Establish critical limits for each CCP.

What is a critical limit?

A measurable value separating acceptable from unacceptable conditions.

What measurements can be used as critical limits?

Temperature, time, pH, acidity, and moisture.

What happens when a critical limit is exceeded?

A CCP deviation occurs, requiring corrective action and product safety assessment.

What is the purpose of an operational limit?

Provides an early-warning buffer before a critical limit is reached.

What is HACCP Principle 4?

Establish CCP monitoring procedures.

What is monitoring in HACCP?

Planned observations or measurements to determine whether a CCP remains controlled.

What five questions must CCP monitoring address?

What, where, when, who, and how.

What is HACCP Principle 5?

Establish corrective actions.

When must corrective actions be taken?

When monitoring identifies a critical-limit deviation at a CCP.

What two things must corrective actions address?

Restore process control and manage affected products.

What may happen to products produced during a CCP deviation?

They may require holding, assessment, reprocessing, or disposal.

Why must corrective actions be predetermined and documented?

To ensure consistent responses and provide evidence of actions taken.

What is HACCP Principle 6?

Establish verification procedures.

What is verification in HACCP?

Using objective evidence to confirm the HACCP system operates effectively.

How does verification differ from monitoring?

Monitoring checks CCP control routinely; verification confirms overall system effectiveness.

What is HACCP Principle 7?

Establish documentation and record-keeping procedures.

What is the difference between HACCP documents and records?

Documents explain how activities are performed; records provide evidence of compliance and completed activities.

A lab study proves 71°C achieves the required STEC reduction. What is this?

Validation. Demonstrates that the control measure is effective.

A cook measures and records every loaf's temperature. What is this?

Monitoring. Checks that the process meets its critical limits.

A manager reviews and signs cooling logs weekly. What is this?

Verification. Confirms monitoring procedures were followed.

Thermometers are checked in ice water each morning. What is this?

Verification. Confirms measuring equipment is accurate.

A new blast chiller is tested with full trays to prove it meets cooling limits. What is this?

Validation. Demonstrates that the equipment can achieve the required cooling performance.

In the steam kettle HACCP example, what is the CCP and its critical limit?

CCP: Cooking and mixing in the steam kettle. Critical limit: 90°C for 20 minutes.