General Principles of Food Hygiene

Abstract

This document outlines the general principles that should be understood and followed by food business operators at all stages of the food chain and that provide a basis for competent authorities to oversee food safety and suitability.

This edition contains a new annex which introduces tools to determine the critical control points in a hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system. The term "Codex Alimentarius" is Latin and means "food code”. Codex standards are international food texts, i.e. standards, codes of practice, codes of hygienic practice, guidelines and other recommendations, established to protect the health of the consumers and to ensure fair practices in the food trade. The collection of food standards and related texts adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission is known as the Codex Alimentarius.