In the interconnected, complex food supply chain, ensuring safety and trust at every stage is of paramount importance. Food products once limited to regional and local sources, are now sourced from a global supply chain network of producers, processors, importers, exporters, and distributors.
This complexity amplifies the potential risks associated with food safety, food fraud, and intentional adulteration which HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), VACCP (Vulnerability Analysis Critical Control Points), and TACCP (Threat Assessment Critical Control Points) have been designed to mitigate.
Together HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP are intended to create a robust safety net for food products, aiming for a future where our plates are as transparent as they are nutritious. However, they are typically managed separately with different teams and personnel responsible for them on multiple complicated Excel spreadsheets. At Primority, we believe that this leads to out-of-date information and presents a management risk to food businesses which is unacceptable. Read on to discover why we think it is important to manage HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP in an integrated fashion and why this makes sense.
Understanding the Trio: HACCP, VACCP, TACCP
HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points): As many of you know, HACCP is a scientific and systematic approach to food safety that identifies specific critical hazards and control measures (CCPs) for their control to ensure food safety. This key food safety methodology is accepted globally and recognized by food safety authorities and standards bodies, making it an industry foundation for process-related food safety.
VACCP (Vulnerability Assessment Critical Control Points): VACCP zeros in on risks associated with economically-motivated adulteration. Be it fraudulent seafood in supply chains or olive oil passed off as extra virgin, there are always bad actors trying to make a buck by substituting a cheaper product or raw material for an expensive one. Food fraud may not always be a food safety issue but in many cases it is. There are many examples of this, not least of all the Melamine in infant formula and pet food which was only detected in the US when cats and dogs started dying.
TACCP (Threat Assessment Critical Control Point): Going a step further, TACCP focuses on intentional adulteration driven not by economic gain, but rather by a desire to harm people or a brand by malicious activity. Harm may be caused by a disgruntled employee who does not like his boss for some reason or someone who was passed over for promotion. TACCP analysis involves shedding light on intentional threats and employing strategies and measures to safeguard against them in the food supply chain. It can often cross over into security, HR, and other business areas which do not always fit in the food safety plan. This can result in intentional adulteration falling off the food safety radar.
Primority’s Approach:
Primority's 3iVerify solution has an AI-powered HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP module where all aspects of food safety are reviewed, analyzed, and assessed simultaneously. Hazards, risks, and their possible causes are suggested by the solution providing additional input into a process that enables the consideration of safety and food fraud issues that may not have been considered. The data for this comes from a combination of AI and other users of the HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP module meaning that we are taking the best from AI and allowing humans to make it better by helping our software learn in real time what is good data and what is not. Over time, this builds a neural network of information about food safety which can be further analysed for quality to ensure that we have a better understanding of food safety risks.
An Integrated Approach:
By taking an integrated approach and pooling the resources of food safety professionals this approach will enable us to move from reactive to preventive approaches. Few people have the time to research every single hazard or risk when creating or reviewing a food safety plan but when many hundreds of people who work on this activity can implicitly share their knowledge and experience a database of quality, curated knowledge becomes available for all.
Food safety, food fraud, and intentional adulteration are interlinked. Intentional adulteration often happens at steps of food processing in which HACCP does not consider the disgruntled employee, e.g. placing poison or foreign bodies like needles into food products in the warehouse. Food fraud may happen when products are packed by substituting a cheaper ingredient. Food safety may be impacted at any stage along the supply chain so all three types of issues need to be considered in the context of every process step, in the supply chain, and in the factory environment.
This is why we believe that HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP must be considered side by side in one single food safety plan with clear controls, monitoring, and visibility by a single food safety team. We spent several years developing this concept and have successfully created a HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP module which achieves a fully integrated approach and also allows the raw material risks to feed into the overall food safety plan.
In conclusion; In a world where the fork-to-farm journey of food products is becoming increasingly intricate, the integration of HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP, empowers the food safety team by enabling it with the food safety brains of thousands, saving time, and generating high-quality food safety plans. This promises a safer and more trustworthy food supply chain, reduced risk, and safer food products. We hope you will agree.
Contact us today to arrange a demonstration of 3iVerify and learn how you can benefit from an integrated approach to HACCP, VACCP, and TACCP.