O sistema de Análise de Perigos e Pontos Críticos de Controle (APPCC) como meio de asseguração do direito do consumidor no setor lácteo

Abstract

The milk and derivatives processing industries are responsible for feeding a considerable portion of the Brazilian population, being an important sector of national agribusiness. According to EMBRAPA, in 2019, the gross value of primary milk production reached almost R$ 35 billion, the seventh largest among national agricultural products. The Consumer Defense Code, which aims to balance consumer relations between consumers and suppliers, through a whole principle that recognizes the consumer as vulnerable, ensures that the high mass production inherent in the consumer society is accompanied by guarantees that the products are free from vices and defects, offering no risk to consumers' health or any type of damage. Such a feat can be achieved with the implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points System (HACCP), a worldwide application tool, whose genesis dates back to the Space Race. HACCP is a preventive system that identifies, assesses and controls biological, physical and chemical hazards that are significant to food safety. It is a legal obligation, which benefits all those involved in the food production chain, being a mandatory item in the industrial and sanitary inspection of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, as it guarantees the safety, identity, quality and integrity of the products of the milk and derivatives industries. In this way, the present work aims to present the HACCP System, from a historical, legal and methodological perspective, with the CDC as a background, through the application of the seven principles of HACCP, established by the Codex Alimentarius and internalized by Brazil. In the course of the work, we sought to exemplify the importance and particularities of HACCP in the dairy sector, based on the technical literature and practical experience of the author of the work, who works as a technician in quality assurance, in the fifth largest dairy industry in Brazil.