Exploring TACCP and VACCP Programs
TACCP and VACCP are relatively new programs compared with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) program. While HACCP addresses hazards, TACCP & VACCP addresses threats and vulnerabilities.
Breakdown of TACCP & VACCP
TACCP stands for Threat Assessment & Critical Control Point, a systematic and management process to defend a food supply chain from intentional contamination. This program focuses attention on tampering, intentional adulteration of food, and food defense. It requires a wider range of employee involvement when compared with HACCP. It covers larger issues such as manufacturing plant and transportation security, security of the IT system, and employee background checks. As with HACCP, it also consists of various quality control checks.
VACCP represents Vulnerability Assessment & Critical Control Point, a systematic and management process to defend a food supply chain from any form of dishonest conduct that impacts negatively on quality and integrity of food and related products. This also focuses on food fraud but with a wider scope including, systematic prevention of any potential adulteration of food, whether intentional or not, through identification of vulnerable areas in a supply chain. This program bothers more with economically motivated adulteration (EMA). E.g. product substitutions, unapproved product enhancements, counterfeiting, stolen goods and others.
Both TACCP & VACCP programs requires control plan that covers mitigation strategies and correction procedures; requiring effective audits of the entire supply chain, assessments of various suppliers and extensive quality control checks of raw materials, as in HACCP.
Why they matter
Food fraud has become a major business (but a bad one). Counterfeit consumer products are increasingly becoming a growing concern over the last few decades. In a situation where the perpetrators have no wish to make their customers sick and thus call attention to their activities, it is unlikely they would intentionally put the public health at risk. However, such risks can occur as a result of the inexperience of the food handlers, poor packaging causing food spoilage, unlabeled or mislabeled ingredients, and others.
Food tampering/terrorism is usually malicious, motivated by desire to cause deliberate harm. These events have been raised as one that requires critical attention, hence the need for TACCP, focusing on a defensive strategy and analysis of the socio-economic factors that might influence the crime.
Differences between TACCP & VACCP
While both sounds similar, and are in fact similar, in that they are both designed to assure the safety of the food we manufacture; to prevent the intentional adulteration of food.. However, TACCP concerns itself with the prevention of deliberate and intentional food fraud in the form of substitution of ingredients, false or misleading statements for economic gain which could adversely impact the health of the consumers. VACCP on the other hand, is concerned with how vulnerable the various points in the supply chain are to the threat of economically-motivated adulteration.
About the Author
Adebayo is a thought leader in continuous process improvement and manufacturing excellence. He is a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt (CSSMBB) Professional and Management Systems Lead Auditor (ISO 9001, 45001, ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 etc.) with strong experience leading various continuous improvement initiative in top manufacturing organizations.
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