HACCP Based Food Safety Programmes (FSPs)
A Food Safety Programme (FSP) is a written programme designed to manage food safety required for any business involved in the production of general food products. It examines all of the steps involved in producing food (from ingredient purchase through to final sale), identifying things with the potential to cause harm to the consumer and implementing controls to eliminate or control such hazards.
Having your FSP certified is reassurance for retailers and branded manufacturers of the standards met by you as a supplier and AsureQuality, as an approved Certification Body for HACCP based FSPs can help you achieve this.
What is a FSP and why do you need one?
Food Safety Programmes were developed by the NZFSA. Approval of your food safety programme (FSP) by the NZFSA will exempt your business from the requirements of the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974 and local authority (Council) registration.
No matter which stage in the food supply chain your business operates in, food safety should be a primary consideration. When working with food products for the domestic market, the emphasis must be on preventing or minimising the risk of food safety hazards within your products.
Legislation is currently under review and these guidelines will be replaced by the new Standards when they are implemented.
AsureQuality capability
AsureQuality is a Certification Body approved by the NZFSA for auditing approved FSPs.
FSPs cover
Regardless of the product your business produces, there is a risk-based programme that will assess the way you operate and ensure that hazards are identified and suitable controls put in place. FSPs will vary between businesses and between industry groups.
The NZFSA website has publications and resources designed to help you develop a food safety programme (FSP) for your business.
Steps to gaining FSP Certification
Visit the NZFSA website for full details of how to get a certified FSP and gain exemption from the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974.
Additional information from the NZFSA
NZFSA Leaflet (PDF 860.34 KB) - a brief outline of the concept of food safety programmes and the approval process. It provides a good starting point for those who are unfamiliar with food safety programmes and HACCP.
