Small businesses – Big risks: Current status and future direction of HACCP in Cyprus

Food safety practices and procedures, in the new Member States, are being scrutinized closely both by the public and the European Commission. HACCP is increasingly relied on to ensure food safety in both food producing and catering businesses. Public concern in Cyprus about safety and quality of food has been growing and food businesses have to review their safety procedures more rigorously. Our survey shows that the size of business is the best indicator of application of HACCP and that small businesses are lagging behind in ensuring safety of their products due to financial constraints. According to our survey implementation level of the HACCP system in food businesses in Cyprus is approximately 17%. Awareness of potential hazards in food production and food handling is very limited. The recognition of the full potential of the HACCP system for ensuring food safety requires assistance from the Cyprus Government and the EU Commission.