An evaluation of HACCP implementation status in UK small and medium enterprises in food manufacturing

Abstract

To reduce foodborne illnesses, hazard and risk-based quality management systems are essential. Small and medium sized companies (SMEs) tend to have a poor understanding of such systems and limited adoption of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point system (HACCP). The requirement for full HACCP implementation by 2006 will place an even greater burden on these businesses. The aim of this project is to assess the current levels of understanding of hazards and risks in SMEs in the manufacturing sector. A questionnaire survey was made of 850 SMEs, including microbusinesses. This determined the industry sector and processes carried out, whether the company operated hazard-based quality management and the knowledge of the technical manager regarding the associated hazards and risks. Follow-up visits to the manufacturing plant observed the processes and the operatives to determine their level of understanding. A benchmarking audit was carried out and each company was rated. The results show that the majority of respondents stated that they operated hazard analysis-based quality management. The ability of the respondents to correctly define a hazard or risk or identify different types of hazard was, however, poor. There was no correlation between business type and audit score. The microbusinesses did, however, perform significantly less well than the larger SMEs.

Small businesses – Big risks: Current status and future direction of HACCP in Cyprus

“…Furthermore, almost half of the respondents did not consider that Campylobacter jejuni and Clostridium botulinum as hazards. This is similar to the results of the survey of 850 SME conducted in UK (Fielding, Ellis, Beveridge, & Peters, 2005), which stated that the ability of the respondents to correctly identify different types of hazard was poor.…”

An evaluation of process specific information resources, aimed at hazard analysis, in Small and Medium Enterprises in food manufacturing

“…Fielding, Ellis, Beveridge, and Peters (2005) showed that, in reality the practices and knowledge, as ascertained by a questionnaire and benchmarking assessment, do not support this claim. There is a general consensus that generic food safety information, such as the resource used here, and the intervention of government in providing training materials and advice are essential for delivering food safety in small businesses (Jouve, 1998;Pritchard & Walker, 1998;Romero, 1999).…”

BREXIT and the Implications of Food Safety Cultural Compliance in the Food Manufacturing Sector

“…All participants not only stressed the importance of food safety training but indicated that non-compliance with food safety, such as improper food handling, contaminated hand contacts and production runs was attributable to a general lack of food safety knowledge [58]. In support, training records suggested that all food manufacturers had set up training regimes to both inform and educate their workforce.…”