It's a system, and while conscious people can use a check list,
someone who's really attentive will pick things up because he's
looking at them and has taken to heart the prionciples, procedures and
determinants - they've become ingrained.
On the other hand, unconscious people are perfectly capable of disarming
even the best control system.
DH
Hello Gilbert,
Wednesday, November 10, 1999, 8:19:42 AM, you wrote:
GG> Since I am involved in a SARE-funded project on small-scale food processing, I
GG> forwarded the recent SANET postings on HACCP to some of the major participants
GG> in the project. One of them with food processing expertise, Judy Anderson from
GG> the New York State Food Venture Center at Geneva, NY, responded with the
GG> following brief message about the topic. The Dr. Gravani she mentions is Robert
GG> Gravani, professor of Food Science at Cornell University.
>>
>>The HACCP approach lends itself reasonably well to risk reduction in
>> >relation to all of the non-microbial contaminants and pollutants you
>> >mentioned above. Strictly speaking, however, HACCP focuses on microbial
>> >contamination.
>> I couldn't quite follow who was writing what about HACCP, but the above
GG> statement stood out above all others in being misleading. HACCP is concerned
GG> with ALL hazards associated with foods. Chemical, Physical and Microbiological.
GG> It does not focus on microbial contamination if properly assessed and applied.
GG> True, microbial hazards are usually the most numerous and most dangerous, but
GG> every possible hazard should be addressed in a good HACCP plan. There are
GG> "decision trees" and flow charts that help the HACCP plan preparers to decide
GG> whether a possible point of contamination is likely to constitute a hazzard and
GG> should be addressed or ignored or somewhere in between.
>> Second, it is my understanding that the concept of HACCP was developed by
GG> Pillsbury in the late 1950's in response to NASA's need for absolutely safe
GG> meals for astronauts (food poisoning in a small capsule would be rather
GG> disasterous). It evolved separately from ISO9000, at least in the early years.
GG> Dr. Gravani could probably fill you in on any other details you might like to
GG> have.
GG> My own view is that, even if the need for strict implementation of HACCP
GG> procedures may be greater in large processing operations with global sourcing
GG> of inputs, the principles of HACCP should be applied to small-scale food
GG> processing (what could be worse for this sector of the industry than people
GG> getting sick or dying from its products). Whether the very SAME requirements or
GG> certain onerous (especially for a small firm) aspects of the bureaucratic red
GG> tape that I would agree would be important for large operations are necessary
GG> (or even desirable) for smaller operations, is something that needs to be
GG> looked at closely. Small-scale food processors are a highly diverse lot, with
GG> most producing high-quality and very safe food and some, like Bart Hall noted
GG> in an earlier posting, clearly should not be in business.
GG> Gil
GG> ****************************************************************************
GG> Gil Gillespie voice: 607-255-1675
GG> Department of Rural Sociology & fax: 607-254-2896
GG> Division of Nutritional Sciences e-mail: gwg2@cornell.edu
GG> 340 Warren Hall
GG> Cornell University
GG> Ithaca, NY 14853-7801
GG> USA
GG> Many people say that "language by nature lies," but I've never agreed
GG> with that. Language is a tool. It can be used to clarify or to confuse,
GG> to build collaboration or to enhance control. Clarity, honesty,
GG> frankness, and integrity are gifts of the soul, and not all people
GG> choose to unwrap them. And some, alas, are trained from the cradle
GG> to use it to manipulate, rather than to witness. Those who use it to
GG> witness, these days, are often ridiculed (unscientific, impressionistic,
GG> emotional, undocumented, subjective), while master manipulators are
GG> held up as exemplars. --Michele Gale-Sinex, 09/20/1999
GG> ****************************************************************************
GG> To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
GG> "unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
GG> "unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
GG> To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
GG> "subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
GG> All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
GG> http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail
Douglas Hinds, Dir. Gral. - CeDeCoR, A.C.
Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural, Asociacion Civil
(Center for Rural and Community Development, a non-profit organization)
Cordoba, Veracruz; Cd. Guzman, Jalisco & Reynosa, Tamaulipas Mexico
Apdo. Postal No. 171
Fortin de las Flores, Veracruz 94471 Mexico
Tel: 011 522 713 2888 (Direct at present)
U.S. Voicemail (email linked) 630 300 0550
U.S. Fax Mailbox (email linked) 630 300 0555
dmhinds@acnet.net, cedecor@acnet.net
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail