MLC 2006 Regulation 3.2, HACCP ( Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) 

Purpose

Under MLC 2006 Regulation 3.2, HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) training is a mandatory requirement for ship’s cooks and galley personnel. It ensures food is prepared safely to protect seafarers from foodborne illnesses and is typically achieved through Level 1 or Level 2 Marine Food Safety certifications.

MLC 2006 Requirements

The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) dictates that all seafarers employed as ship’s cooks or those responsible for handling and preparing food must be properly trained and qualified.

• Focus Areas: Training must cover food and personal hygiene, food storage, stock control, galley health, and environmental protection.
• System Implementation: Galley staff must understand how to apply the 7 core HACCP principles (hazard analysis, critical control points, and monitoring) within the shipboard catering environment.

Common Training Levels

Most maritime academies offer structured food safety courses catering to different levels of galley responsibility:

• Level 1 (Food Safety & Hygiene): Focuses on basic entry-level catering roles, general food handling, and personal cleanliness.
• Level 2 (HACCP Compliant): Geared towards regular cooks and assistants. It covers active risk management, pest control, and preventing food contamination.
• Level 3 & 4 (Management & Supervision): Designed for head chefs and Food Safety Managers who need to implement and oversee shipboard food safety systems.

Food Safety & Hygiene training provides concise overviews which form in a total comprehensive coverage of a broad range of food safety topics. Our food safety & hygiene training minimises the chances of food contamination or food poisoning, protecting both the public and your reputation.

Target Audience

The course is aimed at food handlers working in catering or hospitality including hotels, restaurants, bars, takeaways, kitchens, hospitals, schools and colleges.

Course Content

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is an internationally recognized, systematic approach to food safety. It shifts the focus of food safety from end-product testing to proactive prevention of biological, chemical, and physical hazards.

The HACCP framework is built upon 7 foundational principles:

 The 7 Principles of HACCP

1. Conduct a Hazard Analysis: Identify and evaluate potential biological, chemical, or physical hazards associated with every step of food production.
2. Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs): Identify specific points, steps, or procedures in the process where controls can be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce hazards to acceptable levels.
3. Establish Critical Limits: Set maximum or minimum values for parameters (such as temperature, time, or pH) at each CCP to ensure the hazard is effectively controlled.
4. Establish Monitoring Procedures: Create a planned sequence of observations or measurements to track whether a CCP is operating within its defined critical limits.
5. Establish Corrective Actions: Outline exactly what steps must be taken if monitoring shows that a CCP has deviated from its critical limit.
6. Establish Verification Procedures: Define the activities and tests (other than monitoring) that validate the HACCP system is working correctly.
7. Establish Record-Keeping: Maintain thorough, easily accessible documentation of all monitoring, corrective actions, and system verifications.

Following the above 7 core principles of HACCP, The course touches on below topics and deliberates each of them:

• Food hygiene and preventive measures for hazards about food handling
• Identification and management of critical points with the adoption of preventive measures and correct actions
• The importance of visual control by checking the storage of food items and their rotation
• The issues of food microbiology, knowledge of chemical and physical origin of production.
• Basic knowledge of the hygienic rules to get rid of insects and rodents
• Application of food safety controls to achieve high standards of food hygiene
• Understand the principles of a food safety management system
• Colour coding and separation of chopping boards
• PPE – Use of steel gloves, aprons, head caps, Hard shoes
• Code of practice and general principles of food hygiene
• Know how to identify food hygiene hazards
• Understand the importance of personal hygiene
• Control of temperatures and micro-climate
• How to prevent cross contamination
• The impact of food borne illness
• Hygienic premises and equipment