HACCP AND FOOD HYGIENE LAW IN ENGLAND: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PEST CONTROL STRATEGIES

Abstract:
The European Union has by Directive 93/43/EEC required that member states adopt the main principles of HACCP, (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points). HACCP is a total quality management system for food safety which if implemented fully would result in a minimal level of contamination of food. The implications for pest control in a fully implemented HACCP system are extensive, but the picture is more complex than it might first appear. This complexity arises from both the nature of HACCP itself and the extent to which it is required by the law. Following some serious outbreaks of Escherichia coli food poisoning, the UK government is in the process of introducing a legal requirement for a full HACCP system in some classes of food business for the first time. This paper examines the consequences of the introduction of a legal requirement for HACCP for pest control strategies. Following on from this it considers the relationship between integrated pest management and a risk based approach to food safety. It is concluded that a legal requirement for HACCP is likely to have far reaching implications for food businesses and for the pest control industry. There will be a need, in future, to adopt an approach which considers all risks from pests and from pest control treatments.