What is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards throughout the production process?

• A. HACCP
• B. Post-harvest Handling
• C. Bio-security
• D. Water Quality Monitoring

Answer: (A)

A systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards throughout the production process is HACCP. This framework is proactive and science-based, focusing on preventing hazards before they occur rather than just testing finished products. It works by mapping the entire production flow to spot where hazards could arise, determining Critical Control Points where control measures can prevent or reduce those hazards, and then setting limits, monitoring those points, taking corrective actions if limits are not met, verifying the system works, and keeping thorough records. In practice, this means controlling steps such as cooking temperatures to kill pathogens, proper cooling to avoid dangerous growth, and maintaining clean, sanitary conditions across processing, handling, and storage. While post-harvest handling, bio-security, and water quality monitoring are important components of food safety, they don’t constitute the comprehensive preventive system that HACCP provides across the full production process.