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HACCP Food Safety Certification in Norway

itmad certifies HACCP food safety systems in Norway: two-stage audit, three-year certificate.

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HACCP is a preventive approach to food safety, and itmad provides HACCP food safety certification in Norway, conducted in accordance with the principles of ISO/IEC 17021-1. itmad audits HACCP systems for organisations in the food chain in Norway, with both Norway-based auditors and a travelling team, and has worked in Norway for more than 10 years. HACCP certification from itmad follows a two-stage audit and produces a certificate that runs for three years with annual surveillance audits.

What HACCP is

HACCP is a preventive approach to food safety: identify where in the process a hazard could make the product unsafe, control those points, and prove that the control worked. HACCP replaces end-product testing, which can only show that a batch was already contaminated, with control at the steps where contamination happens. HACCP does not make food risk-free. HACCP brings identified hazards down to acceptable levels and provides evidence that the controls operated, which is what a regulator or a client asks to see.

Who HACCP applies to

HACCP applies to any organisation in the food chain, including:

  • Food manufacturers and processors
  • Central production kitchens and catering companies
  • Restaurants, hotels and hospitality groups
  • Bakeries, dairies and beverage producers
  • Cold stores, distribution and food logistics
  • Retail food operations and supermarkets
  • Agricultural producers and packhouses

The seven HACCP principles

  • 1. Hazard analysisIdentify biological, chemical, physical and allergen hazards at each process step, and assess which hazards are significant enough to require control.
  • 2. Determine critical control pointsIdentify the steps where control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard. A critical control point (CCP) is a point where loss of control means the product is unsafe, not simply a point that is monitored.
  • 3. Establish critical limitsSet the measurable boundary at each CCP: temperature, time, pH, water activity. A limit that cannot be measured cannot be controlled.
  • 4. Establish monitoringDefine what is measured, how, how often and by whom, with results recorded as the results are taken.
  • 5. Establish corrective actionDefine in advance what happens when a limit is breached, including what is done with the affected product, decided before the situation arises.
  • 6. Establish verificationConfirm the system works: calibration, review of records, testing and internal audit. Monitoring shows that the control ran; verification shows that the control was the right control.
  • 7. Establish documentation and recordsThe plan, and the records demonstrating that the plan was followed. Without records there is no evidence, and without evidence there is no defence.

HACCP prerequisite programmes

HACCP only works on a foundation of prerequisite programmes: cleaning and sanitation, pest control, personal hygiene, water quality, waste management, maintenance, supplier control and staff training. Attempting to control everything through CCPs because the basics are not in place produces an unmanageable plan, with a dozen critical control points that nobody can monitor properly. A well-built plan usually has few CCPs, because the prerequisites handle most hazards before the hazards reach that stage. An audit that finds too many CCPs is usually finding weak prerequisites.

Where HACCP audits find gaps

Four gaps recur in HACCP audits. Records are completed retrospectively, in one handwriting, at the end of a shift. Corrective action is recorded as taken, without any record of what happened to the affected product. Critical limits are set at levels that nobody monitors in practice. Thermometers and probes are uncalibrated, which invalidates every temperature record the instruments produced.

HACCP and ISO 22000

HACCP is a method, and ISO 22000 is a management system standard that incorporates HACCP principles within the wider ISO framework of leadership, planning, competence and improvement. Organisations often start with HACCP to satisfy a regulator's requirement and move to ISO 22000 when a customer requires a certified management system. The HACCP plan carries across, so the work is not repeated.

Certification in Norway

itmad issues HACCP certificates in Norway in accordance with the principles of ISO/IEC 17021-1. The HACCP certificate states the certified scope of products and processes, and a Norwegian buyer or supplier programme checks that scope wording. Each Norwegian buyer or supplier programme sets acceptance conditions for HACCP certificates.

How itmad delivers HACCP in Norway

itmad delivers HACCP audits in Norway through Norway-based auditors and a travelling team, for organisations in the food chain. Under ISO/IEC 17021-1, itmad cannot write the HACCP plan, conduct the hazard analysis or design the controls of the organisation that itmad certifies, and itmad does not. itmad audits and certifies, with optional pre-assessment that identifies gaps against the requirements without prescribing how an organisation closes those gaps.

The HACCP certification process

HACCP certification cycle: stage 1 documentation review, stage 2 implementation audit, certificate issued for three years, annual surveillance audits, recertification before expiry

Stage 1 of an itmad HACCP audit reviews the HACCP plan, the hazard analysis and the prerequisite programmes, and confirms the scope of products and processes. Stage 2 of an itmad HACCP audit assesses implementation on site: monitoring records, corrective actions taken, calibration, staff practice observed rather than described, and the condition of the premises.

HACCP timeline

A HACCP certificate from itmad runs for three years, with annual surveillance audits in each intervening year and recertification before the certificate expires.

Frequently asked questions

What is HACCP?

HACCP is a preventive approach to food safety: identify where in the process a hazard could make the product unsafe, control those points, and prove that the control worked. HACCP replaces end-product testing with control at the steps where contamination happens.

How does HACCP certification work with itmad in Norway?

itmad audits HACCP in two stages. Stage 1 reviews the HACCP plan, the hazard analysis and the prerequisite programmes, and confirms the scope of products and processes. Stage 2 assesses implementation on site, including monitoring records, corrective actions taken and calibration. The HACCP certificate runs for three years with annual surveillance audits.

Does itmad use auditors based in Norway?

itmad uses both Norway-based auditors and a travelling team for HACCP audits in Norway. itmad has worked in Norway for more than 10 years.

What are the seven HACCP principles?

The seven HACCP principles are hazard analysis, determining critical control points, establishing critical limits, establishing monitoring, establishing corrective action, establishing verification, and establishing documentation and records. A critical control point is a point where loss of control means the product is unsafe, not simply a point that is monitored.

What are the most common HACCP audit findings?

Common HACCP audit findings include records completed retrospectively in one handwriting at the end of a shift, and corrective action recorded without any record of what happened to the affected product. Findings also include critical limits set at levels that nobody monitors in practice, and uncalibrated thermometers and probes, which invalidate every temperature record the instruments produced.

What is the difference between HACCP and ISO 22000?

HACCP is a method, and ISO 22000 is a management system standard that incorporates HACCP principles within a wider framework of leadership, planning, competence and improvement. The HACCP plan carries across to ISO 22000, so the work is not repeated.