BQC is the first Certification Body to announce the new (2020) General Principles of Food Hygiene of the Codex Alimentarius for HACCP.
The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations relating to foods, food production, and food safety. It was established in early November 1961 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), was joined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 1962, and held its first session in Rome in October 1963.
The Commission's main goals are to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. The Codex Alimentarius is recognized by the World Trade Organization as an international reference point for the resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection.
The Codex Alimentarius covers all foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw. In addition to standards for specific foods, the Codex Alimentarius contains general standards covering matters such as food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide residues, and procedures for assessing the safety of foods derived from modern biotechnology. It also contains guidelines for the management of official i.e. governmental import and export inspection and certification systems for foods.
In conclusion the most important changes that everyone should take into account are:
- After all these years, the decision tree for determining Critical Control Points (CCPs) is included no more, because of its complexity.
- A new concept for measures is appeared, which are called GHPs (Good Hygiene Practices), and are similar to the operational prerequisite programs of ISO 22000.
- HACCP standards are no longer appeared as an appendix, but as a new chapter with its own prerequisite programs.
- Last but not least, there is a simplified definition for HACCP, which strengthen the prerequisite programs, especially for allergens, while the concept of validation is related to control measures.
Codex Alimentarius – More Info