Perceptions of “the bureaucratic nightmare” of HACCP: A case study

Abstract

Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) is a system of food safety management that has emerged over the last decade as the primary approach to securing the safety of the food supply. It is thus an important tool in combating the world‐wide escalation of food borne disease. Yet despite wide dissemination and scientific support for its principles, successful HACCP implementation in small businesses has been limited. There has been very little in‐depth consideration of the reasons behind this, and case study research examining the interplay of factors involved is non‐existent. For this study, therefore, an in‐depth narrative interview was carried out with a small farm owner who has resisted implementing HACCP. Non‐prescriptive analysis of the interview revealed that his highly negative attitude toward HACCP was based around his perception of it as a “bureaucratic nightmare”, and uncovered the complex range of meanings and barriers that this association contains.

Citation

Taylor, E. and Zaida Taylor, J. (2004), "Perceptions of “the bureaucratic nightmare” of HACCP: A case study", British Food Journal, Vol. 106 No. 1, pp. 65-72. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700410515217