Food Safety Risk Assessment - for Food Processors

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This Risk Assessment is a tool to help you determine what should be done in your facility to implement a food safety program. This Risk Assessment will help you identify where you are meeting the requirements of a food safety program, and where you may be falling short.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) are a food safety program used all over the world and there are many GMP/HACCP programs out there with similar requirements. This Risk Assessment tool is based on the GMP and HACCP requirements of the Advantage Series of Food Safety Programs™ developed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

This Risk Assessment is designed to give you an idea of where you need improvements to meet the requirements of GMPs and HACCP. Because GMPs and HACCP are specific to a particular operation and will be different for every facility, this Risk Assessment cannot cover every detail that may apply to your facility. This Risk Assessment tool can help you determine where to get started, but then we suggest you become familiar with the detailed requirements of GMPs and HACCP. OMAFRA has many resources available to assist you in this, most free of charge.

How to Use this Risk Assessment

Advantage GMP is made up of 9 sections. In this Risk Assessment, each of the 9 sections has its own page where you will determine if you are meeting the requirements of that section. There is also a page for Advantage HACCP.

For each section, there is a brief explanation, then a series of questions that make up the Risk Assessment. By answering these questions with Yes or No, you should get a clearer understanding of what requirements you are meeting and which ones you are not meeting. When answering the questions in the Risk Assessment remember that all rules and procedures required for GMPs and HACCP are for food safety and therefore they must be written by someone with a good understanding of food safety.

For every section, you are then asked to write a brief description of:

• What needs improvement in your facility to meet the requirements, and
• What you plan to do to meet the requirements

If you've answered "No" to most of the questions in the Risk Assessment, your first step should be to become familiar with food safety, and GMPs before deciding if GMPs and HACCP are right for your facility at this time.

If you've answered "Yes" to some questions, you should become familiar with food safety, and the requirements of GMPs before proceeding to take action to meet the requirements you are not currently meeting. Your next steps will most likely include writing and/or training procedures for the GMP sections for which you are not meeting the requirements.

If you've answered "Yes" to all questions, you should consider comparing your GMP and HACCP program to the detailed requirements described in the Advantage Program Manual to ensure you have not missed any aspects of a complete program. If you are meeting all requirements consider contacting OMAFRA for information about certification.

Finally, on pages 16 and 17 you will find an Action Plan. If you choose, you can use these pages to summarize everything you've identified as needing improvement and everything you plan to do to meet the requirements of GMPs and HACCP. Simply copy the "What Needs Improvement?" and "What do you plan to do?" from each section into this Action Plan. Having everything combined on one or two pages will come in handy when you prioritize what you will do first, second, third and so on. The Action Plan also includes a spot to list a timeframe and cost for each thing you plan to do, which will also help you prioritize.

Now it's time to get started assessing your facility! Remember, if you have any questions regarding this Risk Assessment, contact us by phone 1-877-424-1300 or by email advantage@ontario.ca.

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Proceed to the Action Plan.
Proceed to Good Manufacturing Practices - Personnel.