Files
Abstract
To your glossary of food and agricultural terms, add
HACCP. One day it could be as ubiquitous in food safety
regulation as the Federal meat inspector who has patrolled
packinghouses for more than 80 years.
HACCP (pronounced "HASSip") is the acronym for an
established quality control concept known as "hazard
analysis and critical control point." Proponents believe it
can bring the U.S. Department of Agriculture's aging meat
and poultry inspection programs into the twentieth century.
But HACCP is also the target of intense criticism. Some
consumer and labor groups fret that it will merely serve as
a smokescreen for industry deregulation-at the expense
of public health.