,
 

Benefits of AHA! Recognition

 
 
Subscribe to our free E-Newsletter, "RTW This Week"Sign up for our
E-Newsletter
  
 
 
 The benefits of AHA! recognition include:
  • Meeting and exceeding customer requirements
  • Increased food safety
  • Increased consumer confidence in food safety
  • Maintained or improved market access
  • Best practices by staff constantly reinforced
  • Ongoing efficient systems management
  • After implementation, reduced staff re-training
  • Feedback for continuous improvement
  • Reduced operational costs
  • Reduced waste
  • Reduced recalls
  • Improved product quality and consistency
  • Reduced liability, possibly reduced liability premiums
In addition to the above noted benefits the AHA! Program provides:
  • A comprehensive food safety standard that meets and exceeds the Codex Alimentarius "Recommended International Code of Practice - General Principles of Food Hygiene" that can be adopted by any commodity.
  • Extensive resources to aid in development and implementation of your AHA! Food Safety or HACCP System, including a comprehensive and user-friendly Guidebook, and a HACCP video for personnel training.
  • Free gap assessments of your food processing facility. This is a friendly “mini-audit” of your food safety system that identifies its current status and provides advice to improve it. Comes complete with a report and road map for where to go next!
  • Alignment to national food safety standards and guidelines:
      • The AHA! Standard requirements are based on the most current requirements from various national and international food safety standards. It has good alignment to the CFIA Food Safety Enhancement Program, which is especially important for food processors that may eventually seek federal registration.
      • The AHA! Recognition Protocol meets the guidelines of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Food Safety Committee, a committee that has been tasked to create guidance documents for certification and recognition of post-farm food safety systems.
      • The AHA! program was established in cooperation with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Currently Ontario, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador are implementing similar programs.
The AHA! Program also provides two options for certification:
AHA! GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) Certification – achievable by smaller, low-risk operations which may not require a full HACCP System. To achieve GMP Certification the operation must implement the AHA! Standard prerequisite programs AND product protection program.

AHA! HACCP System Certification – achievable by medium to large operations for meeting the highest level of customer (export and domestic) requirements. To achieve HACCP System Certification the operation must implement the AHA! Standard prerequisite programs and HACCP plans.

Click here to return to the AHA! GMP Certification page.

Click here to read more about AHA!.		  
 
 
 
For more information about the content of this document, contact Kelly Sawka or Food Safety Division.
This information published to the web on September 12, 2008.
Last Reviewed/Revised on October 8, 2008.