HACCP: Systematic Food Safety

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a systematic, science-based approach to food safety developed in the 1960s by Pillsbury and NASA to ensure safe food for astronauts. Unlike end-product testing (which can miss contaminated batches), HACCP prevents hazards by controlling the process itself. It is now required by law for meat, poultry, seafood, and juice processors in the US and is the global standard for food safety management. The system identifies where hazards can occur, establishes controls at those points, and monitors continuously to ensure controls are working.