HACCP implementation is compulsory for food businesses as stated in the requirements of EU Regulation 178/2002 and 852/2004.

Codex Alimentarius is a committee of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which publishes international standards for food. The purpose of these standards is to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in food trade.

Certification in accordance with Codex Alimentarius guidelines includes HACCP principles and the implementation of Good Manufacturing Practice.

HACCP is a system which identifies health risks that adversely affect product safety.

Health risks fall into three categories:

• Biological (eg yeasts, fungi, pathogens)

• Chemical (eg pesticide residues, packaging materials, detergents and disinfectants, toxic substances,

heavy metals, sulphite, methanol, biogenic amines, potassium ferrocyanide, cyanide, etc.)

• Physical (eg, foreign material in food: metals, stones, wood, plastic, insects, etc.)

Principle 1: Identification of potential hazards associated with food production at all stages (of development and harvest of raw materials, production processes, processing and distribution of products until final preparation and consumption) – Assessment of the likelihood of risks and identification of preventive measures.

Principle 2: Identification of points / processes / stages of production which can be controlled in order to eliminate the risk or minimize the likelihood of critical control point (CCP). “Phase” characterizes any stage in food production or manufacture including agricultural practices, the receipt of raw materials, standardization of  the production process, storage, transport , retail sale and finally handling by consumers.

Principle 3: Establishment of critical limits, which must be met to ensure that each critical control point is under control.

Principle 4: Establishment of procedures for monitoring critical control points in order to ensure they are within critical limits.

Principle 5: Determination of corrective actions to be taken when monitoring shows a deviation from the established critical limits.

Principle 6: Respect for the HACCP documentation process.

Principle 7: Compliance procedures which ensure proper operation and efficiency of the HACCP system.

An important advantage of HACCP Codex Alimentarius certification is a low number of claims in relation to other standards.

HACCP Codex Alimentarius certification adds value to certified companies as their quest for continuous improvement in reducing potential risk to food imports and/or production processes is widely recognized.

HACCP Codex Alimentarius facilitates transactions between certified companies and strengthens their position against competition.

In addition certification after inspection ensures that the certified company benefits from feedback from the Certification Body inspection team.

Usually small businesses with few employees prefer certification in accordance with the standard of Codex Alimanterius due to the fact that it is more affordable compared to other standards.

EUROCERT S A is accredited by the Greek ESYD National Accreditation Board and offers internationally recognized certificates

Companies who wish to certify with HACCP Codex Alimentarius must submit an Enquiry Form.

The Certification Body provides an appropriate inspection team and performs an on-site inspection.

During the inspection, the Certification Body must check the completeness of the documentation of the recording system variations and provide the Company under inspection time in order to perform  the necessary corrective actions.

Deviations / non-compliances are recorded. EUROCERT S A will only issue a certificate if all deviations/non compliances are amended.