HACCP standards and hygiene

The HACCP system, acronym for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, is a system studied and implemented at European level, consisting of a series of principles which provide for the identification of the critical points of the production chain, the determination of the checks to be carried out, the methods for carrying out checks and corrections. This set of procedures is aimed at ensuring that food products can be consumed without any risk.

The environment and equipment

Analyzing the rules relating to production environments, we recall, first of all, that the provisions of the law require that the available spaces are adequate for the equipment used, so as to allow easy operations for the employees in charge of preparation. The size of the rooms must be able to guarantee correct hygiene practices, avoiding cross-contamination between foods. In fact, in an ice cream laboratory, the various equipment must be arranged in such a way as to allow for a journey through the various stages of preparation. Starting from the position in which the raw materials are stored, we move first to the machinery in which the raw materials are weighed and mixed, then to the pasteurization and creaming machines and, finally, to the blast chiller, in which quickly temperatures of -40°C and to the cooling and conservation cell, with a guaranteed temperature of -20°, -22°C.
In practice, it is a production chain that has its own fixed points, arranged one after the other, so that it is not possible to mix contaminated products with products that have already undergone a heat treatment and which, therefore, are microbiologically pure.
Each Municipality can request the observance of its own directives regarding the definition of the rules to be followed in an ice cream laboratory; in very general terms, we can remember that an ice cream laboratory must have walls made of washable material, up to a height of 1.80 metres, while the floor must be built with a direct inclination towards an outflow grid, to allow the quick and deep cleaning.

The cleanliness and hygiene of the operators

The set of all the procedures to eliminate germs and pathogenic microorganisms constitute the process of sanitizing the premises. Cleaning to eliminate all processing residues must be carried out daily, while a deeper cleaning must be completed every week with the simultaneous careful control of the integrity of the anti-insect and anti-animal barriers. Dirt removal and disinfection must be easy to carry out, so all surfaces should be made of materials that are easy to clean, such as stainless steel, and linear, without recesses that are difficult to reach with standard cleaning equipment.
A final consideration on the hygiene of the operators; in addition to compliance with the provisions of the law which state the obligation of periodic medical check-ups for personnel in contact with food products, such as ice cream, a series of rules must be followed: clothing, always clean, must be used only when Inside the laboratory, hair must be tied back under a headdress, jewels or other similar items must not be worn, and hands and nails must always be well cleaned and disinfected.