HACCP: Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points

In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) regulatory system for the food industry to prevent food safety problems before they occur. This system, which places the responsibility for product safety on individual manufacturers and distributors, was nothing new to the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish industry. For nearly a decade, the industry has been independently executing its own quality control program. In 1987, TCI contracted with the USDC to conduct weekly inspections of U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish processing plants. Only the catfish who have passed stringent taste tests at the ponds and the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC) inspections at the processing plants can carry the TCI certification seal.