What is the self-checking system (autocontrol)?
It is the method each food business uses to decide what can go wrong, how to prevent it and how to check that it is being prevented. The business sets it up, but all its staff follow it.
The law says that food businesses must create, apply and maintain permanent procedures based on the principles of APPCC (Análisis de Peligros y Puntos de Control Crítico, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points; in English, HACCP).
According to AESAN (the Spanish food safety agency), the success of these procedures requires the full commitment and cooperation of both managers and employees, and that is why employees must receive training.
To remember
- Self-checks (autocontrol): prevent and check.
- APPCC = HACCP: the basis of the system.
Facts and sources for this section
- Food businesses must create, apply and maintain permanent procedures based on the principles of APPCC (HACCP in English). [S3]
- According to AESAN, the success of self-checking (autocontrol) procedures requires the full commitment and cooperation of both managers and employees, and that is why employees must receive training. [S1]
What is APPCC (HACCP), explained simply?
Think of a recipe: first you see what can go wrong, then you mark the steps where control is essential, you set a limit, you watch it and, if it fails, you do something.
That is the idea. The principles include identifying hazards, pinpointing the critical control points and their limits, monitoring them, setting corrective actions if something is not under control, verifying that the system works and keeping documents and records.
An example: cooking chicken. The hazard is a microbe, the critical point is the cooking, the limit is a temperature at the centre, the monitoring is measuring it and the corrective action is to keep cooking if it is not reached.
To remember
- Hazard, critical point, limit, monitoring, corrective action, record.
- Example: measuring the cooking of chicken.
Facts and sources for this section
- The principles of APPCC include identifying hazards, pinpointing the critical control points and their limits, monitoring them, setting corrective actions if something is not under control, verifying that the system works and keeping documents and records. [S3]
What happens if something changes?
If a product, a process or a stage is changed, the business must review its procedure and make the necessary changes.
For example, if you buy a new oven or add a dish with egg to the menu, how it is controlled has to be reviewed.
Your role: tell your supervisor about any change you see in recipes, suppliers or equipment.
To remember
- A change can create a new hazard.
- Tell someone if something changes in your job.
Facts and sources for this section
- When the product, the process or any of its stages is changed, the business must review its procedure and make the necessary changes. [S3]
What exactly is my role?
Your role is to apply the procedures as they are written, monitor what is yours to monitor, write it down and tell someone when something fails.
It is the business's responsibility to make sure staff have training suited to their job, and yours to put into practice what you learn.
The people who develop and maintain the APPCC procedure must also have suitable training in its principles. That is not the same as yours as a food handler.
To remember
- Apply, monitor, record and report.
- Whoever designs the APPCC needs specific training.
Facts and sources for this section
Which records do I have to fill in?
Documents and records show that the system works. Depending on the business they can cover fridge temperatures, cooking and cooling, cleaning, goods received or training.
Write them down at the time, with the real value you measure. Never record a figure you have not checked, and never fill everything in at once at the end of the day.
A well-kept record protects you and your business: it shows that you did things right.
Canteens and other services that serve groups keep a reference meal sample (comida testigo), labelled and dated, of at least 100 g per portion, for a minimum of 7 days, at 4 °C or less or frozen at -18 °C or less.
To remember
- Record the real value, at the time.
- Reference meal sample in group catering: 100 g, 7 days.
Facts and sources for this section
- Canteens and other services that serve groups keep a reference meal sample (comida testigo), labelled and dated, of at least 100 g per portion, for a minimum of 7 days, at 4 °C or less or frozen at -18 °C or less. [S6]
What should I report, and to whom?
Tell your supervisor straight away if a fridge is not cooling properly, if there is a pest, an expired or doubtful product, a foreign body in food, an illness of your own or a possible allergen mistake.
Anyone who is ill must tell the business about the illness or the symptoms they have.
Telling someone is not snitching. It is how things get corrected in time, before they reach the customer.
To remember
- Report breakdowns, pests, expired products, foreign bodies and allergens.
- Reporting in time prevents bigger problems.
Facts and sources for this section
- Anyone in that situation who works in a food business must tell the business straight away about the illness or the symptoms they have. [S3]
How do they check that I work well?
The inspection checks that the worker applies good handling practices correctly and that the business makes sure they know them, supervises compliance and corrects deviations.
If incorrect practices are found, the business can be required to update the training of the people who committed them. The business can also take other measures, such as new training or moving someone to a different job or removing them from a job.
Businesses must also have a food safety culture: commitment from management and all employees, and open, clear communication, including to report deviations.
To remember
- They watch you work, not just your paperwork.
- Safety culture: commitment and communication.
Facts and sources for this section
- The inspection checks that the worker applies good handling practices correctly and that the business makes sure they know them, supervises compliance and corrects deviations. [S7]
- If incorrect practices are found, the business can be required to update the training of the people who committed them. [S7]
- When a poor practice is detected, the business can respond with measures such as new training or moving a specific food handler to a different job or removing them from a job. [S7]
- The business must establish and maintain a suitable food safety culture, with the commitment of management and all employees, and provide evidence of it. [S4]
- That culture includes open, clear communication among all workers, also to report deviations and expectations. [S4]
Check what you have learned
Three questions from the test, with their explanation. Tap an answer.
Question 1 of 3
What is your role within the self-checking system (autocontrol)?
See the answer
Correct: D, Applying the procedures, monitoring, recording and reporting what fails. According to AESAN, the success of self-checking procedures requires the full cooperation of managers and employees. [S1]
Question 2 of 3
The fridge shows a higher temperature than normal. What do you do?
See the answer
Correct: C, I tell my supervisor and act according to the procedure, without serving anything doubtful. A deviation is reported in time so it can be corrected before it reaches the customer. [S4]
Question 3 of 3
When must the business review its APPCC-based procedure?
See the answer
Correct: B, When the product, the process or any stage is changed. If a change is made, the procedure has to be reviewed and the necessary changes made. [S3]