HACCP in small food businesses - The Polish experience

- Approaches to HACCP that have been used in food businesses in Poland are presented.
- Some simplifications of the main elements of HACCP documentation are described and discussed.
- Practical examples of a flexible approach to HACCP applied in some Polish small businesses are described.

The specificity of small organizations (i.e. limited human, financial and technical resources) within the food sector results in problems with adopting the Codex HACCP model used in medium and large-sized businesses. In Poland, it is additionally hindered by the use of a model system mostly based on rigid adherence to quality management protocols based on the ISO 9001 standard. This paper presents how some of the Polish small and/or less-developed food businesses have implemented some elements of the HACCP system. Several practical solutions focusing on the simplification of some system areas such as flow diagrams, hazard analysis, documented procedures and records are described. Moreover, the possibility of applying the GMP/GHP Manual instead of the typical procedures/instructions is presented.