Good practice:

Guide of how to apply the HACCP principles in dairy SMEs

The guide covers the requirements of the legislation that dairy SMEs must keep for the implementation of sanitary measures based on HACCP principles. The guide can be modified, depending on the applied processing and functional methods, the type of dairy products and adapt to the needs of each company. The guide includes:
• identification of risks appeared in the production and the impact on products safety and quality
• basic controls to be performed in order to prevent risks at various stages of production
• description of the production process of some dairy products (flow charts)
• HACCP drawings and sanitary measures where the potential hazards at each stage of production, the mode of monitoring of their implementation and the corrective actions from the part of the company in cases of failure control of a risk.
• instructions for the application of general hygiene requirements of the legislation in the dairy establishment (good hygiene practice) which required.
• records kept and forms completed in order to document HACCP implementation.
• laboratory tests for verification the application of good hygiene practice installation and safety of the products.

Requirements for the application of the Guide are the training of the manager and staff of the business, which is necessary.

Advantages for the company:
• Awareness of the risks that may affect the safety of the products produced in the company.
• Minimization of the risks for the products and elimination of deficiencies in sanitary measures.
• Better knowledge of how to apply precautionary measures adapted the company’s activities.
• Conformity with the conditions and legislation requirements for the production of safe, quality and competitive products.
• Promotion of the production of quality products.

One food sector of particular importance for our country is that of dairy, which represented by several craft-type enterprises, of relatively small capacity, using traditional techniques to produce quality dairy products. These companies, given the preference of the Greek consumer in our traditional cheeses should be supported in their quest for safe production and products of exceptional quality. EFET in its effort to support small dairy companies, commissioned a team of scientists executing the guide for implementing the system HACCP. This guide covers the legislative requirement for effective implementation HACCP principles, but above all it is a practical tool for any company in compliance with the sanitary requirements, which will guarantee the production’s safety, quality and competitive dairy products.