Microbiologia

Food Control 18 (2007) 1314–1321 www.elsevier.com/locate/foodcont

The HACCP system implementation in small businesses of Madrid’s community
C. Celaya ¤, S.M. Zabala, P. Pérez, G. Medina, J. Mañas, J. Fouz, R. Alonso, A. Antón, N. Agundo
Centro de Salud Pública del Área V, Avda. de Bruselas No. 38 A, 1a planta, 28100 Alcobendas Madrid (España), Spain Received 18 April 2006; received inrevised form 5 September 2006; accepted 11 September 2006

Abstract The main goal of this paper is addressed to evaluate the HACCP system implementation in small food industries of Madrid’s autonomous community. Important practical barriers about HACCP development have been identiWed. There were investigated the manufacturing food industries of animal origin during 5 years, between 1999 and 2003. Theresearch analyzed areas concerning business demand, legal requirements and quality management systems, food industry size, human resources, technical support and assessors, prerequisites, time scale and HACCP implementation oYcial assessment. Conclusions have met the beginning of HACCP system implementation by food industries following the application of a strategic plan and public health program,as well as several diYculties in small food industries with regard to HACCP system applying, and the fundamental inXuence of prerequisites implementation and management commitment on eVective HACCP system. To overcome such barriers, it is proposed a strategy, which includes all diVerent stakeholders. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: HACCP; Small industries; Madrid

1.Introduction International organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and several countries, particularly belonging to the European Union (EU), are promoting the implementation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. Its principles, detailed in the Codex Alimentarius guidelines (CAC, 1997), have beenincorporated in the EU food legislations in the early 1990s, through Council Directive 93/43/EEC on hygiene of foodstuVs (OJL175, 19 July 1993). The 852/2004 EU regulation (OJL139, 30 April 2004) updates and reinforces its contents. Spain adopted the 93/43/EEC Directive through the Royal Decree 2207/1995 on the hygiene of foodstuVs (BOE,
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Corresponding author. Fax: +34 91 662 05 34. E-mailaddress: carlos.celaya@salud.madrid.org (C. Celaya).

27 February 1996). Nevertheless, since 1980s, promotion eVorts on HACCP system have been developed by academy institutions and public health administrations (Polledo, 1998). In relation to HACCP, several Council Directives have been incorporated to the Spanish food legislation on speciWc food sectors. On 1997, the Coordination and CooperationCommission on Food Safety (COCOCOSA), from the Health Interterritorial Council, adopted an agreement of common actions on practical application of self-control systems into the food industry, in order to facilitate the fulWlment of the Royal Decree 2207/1995 in the Autonomous Communities (regions in which Spain government is organized). Particularly in Madrid’s autonomous community, the DirectorateGeneral of Public Health, conscientious of the importance and diYculties to achieve a general implementation of HACCP system in its geographic region, designed in 1998 a strategic plan aimed to promote the implementation of self-controls based on HACCP by food industries (Dirección General de Salud Pública, 1999). This

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C. Celaya et al. / Food Control 18 (2007) 1314–1321

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plan involved food businesses, public health authority, and included resources and actions to develop in a progressive way the implementation of the system in the community of Madrid’s by food companies. In practice, it is generally recognized that the application of the HACCP system is making...