Introduction
This HACCP generic model was developed for honey packing establishments using a honey pasteurizing establishment packaging creamed honey in glass jars with painted metal lids. This model was developed with the assumption that all prerequisite programs are in place and comply with the requirements of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
The production line starts with honey in 50 gallon barrels being placed on a dump tank where the honey flows into the tank. Foreign debris is removed from the honey by a series of filters and a settling tank. The honey goes through a pasteurizer to destroy any yeasts present, to facilitate fine-mesh filtering, and to aid in mixing with the seed honey. The honey is packed into glass jars and capped mechanically with painted metal lids. It is stored under cool conditions to ensure the creaming of the honey.
Because of the pH level, the low water activity (aw), the high sugar content, and the bacteriostatic composition of honey, very few biological hazards are associated with the product. Concern has been raised from one reported case of infant botulism in Canada in 1985, where a soother that was dipped in honey was found to contain 1,000 to 10,000 Clostridium botulinum spores/kg. It is reported that infant botulism can occur in infants up to 26 weeks of age and is caused by spores that germinate producing a toxin in the infant intestinal tract. Evidence suggests these spores are of a single serotype caused by a build-up of spores from a single source, contaminated dead bee larvae. Therefore, the contamination of the honey is likely to occur prior to extraction, and the honey producer has no control over this hazard. Physicians, public health nurses, and the school system are the key components in keeping the public informed of potential risks.
It is the opinion of the expert committee that the chemical and physical hazards that could exist are controllable. They are the result of the beekeeper's and the honey processor's production and handling practices; these hazards can generally be eliminated through the use of prerequisite programs. This includes the physical hazard of glass fragments. It was decided that, due to the traditional line speed and style of glass container, the hazard would be fully covered through prerequisite programs and glass breakage procedures.