HACCP

Chapter 4
Seafood Safety Hazards
It is important in developing a HACCP plan or modifying an existing plan to
be aware of the potential seafood safety hazards that are associated with the
products and processes. The rationale for implementing a seafood HACCP
program is to prevent the potential seafood safety hazards that are “reasonably
likely to occur” and could cause disease or injury if not adequately controlled
(Slide 1). Awareness of the potential hazards must also include some knowledge
about the most appropriate and effective controls. This chapter provides a brief
introduction to some of the most common hazards of concern. The FDA’s Fish
and Fisheries Products Hazards and Controls Guidance (Hazards Guide), provides
step-by-step directions to assist in determining the specific hazards and their
respective controls. Controls can differ by product types and processes. Use of
the Hazards Guide will be explained in Chapter 5-Hazard Analysis.
Slide 1
In this chapter you will learn about:
• Food Safety Hazards that have been associated with seafood
and are considered “reasonably likely to occur” if not subject to
appropriate controls.
In developing a HACCP plan, it is important to understand that seafood hazards
only refer to the conditions or contaminants in food that can cause illness or
injury to people (Slide 2). Many conditions are highly undesirable in food, such
as the presence of insects, hair, filth or spoilage. Economic fraud and violations
of regulatory food standards are equally undesirable. Processors should have
prerequisite programs in place to properly address all of these conditions.
However, since these conditions are often not directly related to the safety
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