What is the purpose of HACCP?

• A. Improve product texture at packaging.
• B. Increase shelf life by processing changes.
• C. Prevent health hazards at critical points in food production.
• D. Enhance marketing appeal.

Answer: (C)

HACCP is a preventive safety system that aims to stop health hazards from reaching consumers by carefully analyzing the entire production process to identify biological, chemical, and physical hazards and then controlling them at points where they can be prevented or reduced—these are the critical control points. The purpose is to prevent, eliminate, or reduce hazards to safe levels before they occur, using defined critical limits, ongoing monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and thorough record-keeping. This approach is about safety, not about enhancing texture or marketing or simply extending shelf life through processing changes. For example, cooking to a validated temperature, maintaining proper refrigeration, and preventing cross-contamination are all about ensuring hazards are controlled at the right steps in production.