1. Purpose
This policy sets out Murzo Group's approach to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles, food safety management systems, prerequisite programmes, monitoring, corrective action, verification, validation, and food safety records.
The purpose is to help ensure food, ingredients, samples, novel foods, insect-derived products, substrates, feed-related materials, packaging, storage, handling, and distribution activities are managed safely and lawfully.
2. Scope
This policy applies where Murzo Group develops, sources, receives, handles, stores, prepares, processes, packs, labels, transports, sells, supplies, disposes of, or advises on food, ingredients, samples, novel foods, food-contact materials, or related products.
It applies to employees, contractors, suppliers, co-packers, manufacturers, laboratories, warehouses, logistics providers, partners, and customers where Murzo Group has operational control, contractual oversight, or product responsibility.
3. Food Safety Management Principles
Murzo Group will operate proportionate food safety management arrangements based on risk, product type, process complexity, legal status, customer requirements, and intended use.
- Food hazards must be identified, avoided, eliminated, or reduced to acceptable levels
- Controls must address microbiological, chemical, physical, allergen, biological, radiological, authenticity, and cross-contact risks where relevant
- Food safety arrangements must be documented and supported by records
- Controls must be reviewed when products, ingredients, suppliers, processes, sites, equipment, labels, laws, or intended uses change
- Unsafe, illegal, mislabelled, contaminated, or uncertain product must be held and escalated
4. Prerequisite Programmes
Murzo Group may use prerequisite programmes to establish the basic conditions needed for safe food activity before HACCP-specific controls are applied.
- Cleaning, hygiene, pest control, waste control, maintenance, calibration, and equipment suitability
- Supplier approval, traceability, allergen control, labelling control, water quality, and temperature control
- Personal hygiene, illness reporting, protective clothing, training, visitor control, and site security
- Chemical storage, foreign body control, segregation, transport hygiene, packaging control, and product hold procedures
- Recall readiness, complaint handling, food fraud controls, and incident escalation
5. Hazard Analysis
Food safety teams or authorised responsible persons should identify hazards at each relevant step of the process, from sourcing and receiving through storage, preparation, processing, packing, labelling, distribution, use, and disposal.
Hazard analysis should consider raw materials, ingredients, allergens, substrates, packaging, people, equipment, environment, process steps, time and temperature, intended consumers, vulnerable groups, and foreseeable misuse.
6. Critical Control Points & Limits
Where a step is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level, Murzo Group may identify it as a critical control point or equivalent control point.
Critical limits must be measurable or otherwise clearly defined, such as temperature, time, pH, water activity, detection sensitivity, cooking standard, label approval, segregation requirement, or release criterion.
7. Monitoring & Corrective Action
Monitoring must be sufficient to show whether controls are operating as intended. Records should identify what was checked, when, by whom, the result, and any action taken.
Where a control fails, Murzo Group must assess affected product, place product on hold where needed, correct the immediate issue, investigate the cause, and record corrective and preventive action.
8. Validation, Verification & Review
Controls should be validated where necessary to show they are capable of controlling the hazard. Verification should confirm that the system is operating effectively.
Verification may include record checks, calibration, swabbing, testing, internal audits, supplier review, complaint review, trend analysis, mock recall exercises, label checks, and management review.
9. Training & Competence
People involved in food safety activities must receive suitable instruction, supervision, or training for their responsibilities.
Training needs may include food hygiene, HACCP awareness, allergen control, traceability, temperature control, cleaning, personal hygiene, product hold, labelling, incident reporting, and recall readiness.
10. Records, Review & Responsibilities
Murzo Group will keep food safety management records including hazard analysis, control plans, monitoring records, corrective action, verification, training, supplier evidence, complaints, test results, incidents, and review decisions.
Food safety leads, product owners, managers, procurement leads, production contacts, logistics contacts, suppliers, and authorised representatives are responsible for applying this policy. It will be reviewed periodically and after significant food safety change or incident.
