Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a systematic preventive approach to food safety. It addresses allergenic, chemical, and biological hazards in production processes that could cause the finished product to be unsafe, and it helps design measures that reduce those risks to a safe level.

HACCP works by identifying hazards in a production or food-preparation process and controlling them at critical control points. These are the steps where control is necessary to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a hazard to an acceptable level. The Government of Canada describes HACCP as one of the food industry's quality-assurance tools, used alongside good manufacturing practices, in Correctional Service Canada's food services guideline.

The three hazard types HACCP controls

HACCP is built around hazards that can make a food product unsafe. The Government of Canada source names three categories:

• Allergenic hazards, such as allergens that reach a product they should not be in.
• Chemical hazards that can enter the process.
• Biological hazards that can affect the safety of the finished product.

The approach is preventive. Instead of relying only on checking the end product, a HACCP system looks at the process itself and puts controls where they will have the most effect.

HACCP requirements at Correctional Service Canada

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) uses HACCP in its Food Services operations to help ensure that the food it prepares is safe. Its guideline applies to staff and contractors involved in providing food services to inmates.

The requirement depends on the type of kitchen. HACCP is mandatory in all food-preparation facilities designated as Regional Food Production Centres. Other CSC kitchens must have a food-safety program that meets the requirements set by CSC's Senior Manager, Food Services, including a process for documenting practices. The full wording is in the CSC guideline.

Food acceptance and replacement of substandard goods

CSC's guidance on food procurement sets conditions that sit alongside HACCP. Food products procured for CSC institutions must comply with applicable Canadian legislation and with the purchasing requirements of the procurement vehicle used.

CSC does not accept unsatisfactory food products. Suppliers must replace substandard goods with products that meet the applicable quality conditions. A supplier's own food-safety controls therefore matter at the point of delivery as well as in production.

HACCP audit services under the federal standing offer

HACCP also appears in federal procurement as a service. The Treasury Board Secretariat's Guide to Contracting states that the Audit Comprehensive Standing Offer has been used to contract food-safety HACCP auditors. Federal departments can obtain this specialized audit expertise through that vehicle.

Firms that provide qualified food-safety auditors should therefore treat HACCP auditing as a recognized category of federal audit work.

What HACCP means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

The obligation depends on the solicitation or contract. Where the requirement concerns food prepared in a CSC Regional Food Production Centre, the supplier or operator must implement HACCP as CSC requires. Where the requirement is for HACCP auditing, the supplier must provide qualified food-safety audit services under the applicable standing-offer or solicitation terms.

The sources reviewed do not establish a universal HACCP certification requirement for all Canadian government food suppliers. Bid teams should read each solicitation closely for food-safety, documentation, and delivery-quality conditions. Current opportunities are listed on CanadaBuys.