This study looks at the opinions of food plant staff and managers on HACCP as needed for future regulatory development and staffing of these key issues.

The researchers visited eight small and medium-sized food companies in Ontario, Canada, to understand their attitudes toward HACCP.

In recent years, as a preventive measure for food safety, HACCP has become more and more popular. Through a series of interviews with executives and plant owners, food safety researchers, we found out why decision makers use HACCP in the food industry.

Motivating factor

FoodControl magazine wrote: Most of the respondents have high expectations for future regulations.

In addition, avoiding food safety issues is a major concern. In this regard, a workshop manager noted that the role of HACCP is not just about an internal system: "The benefit of HACCP is that you need to be accountable to the outside, and the outside will not compromise you. I don't have to verify it. When the auditor comes, if the product fails, the auditor and everyone knows the consequences.” Among the companies that have obtained HACCP certification, the fact that employees' food safety awareness has been strengthened has been widely recognized. Except that one food safety manager mentioned that in the HACCP experience, because another supervisor opposed the HACCP system and caused tension between the two supervisors, most of the respondents were positive about the HACCP effect. of.

In addition to having a better awareness of food safety, respondents also mentioned that the application of this system will enhance the trust of consumers and make the process more standardized.

When implementing HACCP, the key to success for all personnel is the commitment of senior staff. In addition to providing adequate financial support, this means that managers and owners must “speak to do it” and, as they enter the production area, must wear nets and wash their hands as well as employees.

Staffing challenge

It is also important to have competent staff in the right positions. Due to lack of industry experience, three of the eight factories surveyed failed in their first attempt to implement HACCP. A factory certified by the HACCP system worked for two years and replaced the quality manager twice.

But having expertise does not solve all the problems. One interviewee said that it is important to include employees who like paperwork and attention to detail. “The biggest challenge is the process of documenting. There is actually no work on the food safety system, but a process of real documentation.”

Another problem that needs to be identified by executives and owners is to recruit talents who have mastered the HACCP system. Especially for smaller companies, they often complain that it is difficult to find people who understand both the HACCP system and the willingness to work for the compensation they provide. One interviewee said: “We have received many applications, but the salary between $60,000 and $100,000 is intended to be HACCP and the followers only care about paperwork. In my opinion, this seems completely out of touch, especially A new system because it is such a new thing that it is difficult to hire talent with any real knowledge or background."

Food safety managers and coordinators complain that there is no time to write and implement the HACCP system in order to alleviate this problem. In a survey conducted by five of the eight factories, it was also mentioned that language barriers became a problem when it comes to training production workers in the HACCP system.