HACCP Product Description Procedure
Part of Food Industry Hub’s FSQMS Policies and Procedures Suite.
The HACCP – Product Description Procedure forms part of the Food Industry Hub FSQMS Policies and Procedures Suite.
It defines how the HACCP Food Safety Team develops accurate, complete and up-to-date product descriptions for finished products and product groups manufactured by the site, including seasonal products, customer-branded products and variations that may influence food safety characteristics.
The procedure establishes the product information needed to support hazard identification and hazard analysis, together with the responsibilities, information sources and maintenance controls that keep that information valid, verified, current and documented.
Build product descriptions around the characteristics that matter to hazard analysis
For each product or group of similar products, the procedure requires a detailed description containing the information relevant to hazard identification and hazard analysis. This includes composition, ingredients, raw materials, allergens and recipes; origin of materials where relevant; and physical or chemical characteristics such as pH, water activity, preservatives or other intrinsic factors that influence food safety.
The description also covers processing or treatment steps, packaging type and characteristics, storage and distribution conditions, maximum safe shelf life and the basis for its determination, and any special characteristics or considerations linked to intended consumers.
Bringing these characteristics into one controlled product description gives the HACCP Food Safety Team a documented factual basis for the product information used in the food safety plan.
Use verified technical and safety information
The procedure requires relevant technical and safety information to be gathered and evaluated when product descriptions are compiled. Sources may include scientific or technical publications, industry guidelines or recognised good practice, historical product or process knowledge, legislative requirements for the markets in which the product will be sold, customer specifications and additional requirements, and internal data, testing information or previous hazard-analysis results.
Supporting information is documented and maintained for review. The emphasis is not simply on collecting data, but on ensuring that the information included in the product description is valid, verified, current and available to the HACCP Food Safety Team.
Keep product information aligned with change
Product descriptions are reviewed at least annually and updated whenever changes may influence product safety characteristics. The procedure specifically brings raw-material and ingredient changes, new suppliers or origins of supply, recipe modifications, changes to processing steps, equipment or packaging formats, storage or shelf-life adjustments, and changes to legislation or customer requirements into that maintenance process.
Updates are controlled and recorded in accordance with document-control procedures. This preserves both the current description and the review and change history needed to show how product information has been maintained over time.
Define responsibility for developing and maintaining the description
Responsibility is allocated across senior management, technical or quality management and the HACCP Food Safety Team. Senior management provides the resources, training, time and support needed for product descriptions to be completed and maintained, and ensures that relevant product, raw-material, processing, packaging and supplier changes are communicated to the HACCP Food Safety Team.
Technical or quality management leads the gathering, confirmation and maintenance of the information used in product descriptions, ensures that relevant technical, legislative, historical and customer information is considered, and maintains current and historical records in line with document-control requirements.
The HACCP Food Safety Team develops the product descriptions, confirms that they contain the information needed for hazard analysis, and reviews them as part of ongoing HACCP maintenance.
Maintain evidence behind the HACCP product description
The procedure provides for completed product description forms, supporting technical information and data, and records of reviews, changes and approvals. Together, these records show the information used to describe each product or product group and the basis on which that information has been maintained.
Within the wider FSQMS, the procedure supports the HACCP food safety plan by keeping product characteristics, source information and controlled updates available for hazard analysis without extending the procedure into controls that belong to later HACCP stages.