Alberta HACCP Advantage (AHA!)

Welcome to the Alberta HACCP Advantage (AHA!) Home Page ..

Alberta HACCP Advantage (AHA!) is a voluntary program established by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD), in cooperation with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. AHA! is a food safety program that has resources to assist processors in developing, improving and implementing a food safety system to meet the requirements of their current customers and may also help gain new customers. AHA! was developed to complement current food safety regulations, and to facilitate consistent program development within the processing industry.

The goal of the Alberta HACCP Advantage (AHA!) program is to assist processors in implementing a complete and effective food safety program. An effective food safety program identifies hazards and measures to prevent, eliminate or reduce hazards during the processing and production of food. It is an outcome based approach, which provides flexibility during implementation, regardless of your operation.

AHA! standard | AHA! guidebook | AHA! workbooks | News | Contact | Gap assessments | Training corner | AHA! recognition | Growing Forward funding

Top 5 Reasons to Develop and Implement a Food Safety Program Increased food safety Increased customer confidence in food safety Meeting and exceeding customer requirements Best practices by staff constantly reinforced Reduced waste (operational, recalls) Other Important Reasons Maintain or improve market access Ongoing efficient systems management After implementation, reduced staff training and re-training Feedback for continuous improvement Improved product quality and consistency Reduced liability, possilby reduced liability premiums Our Role To develop and package information that promotes the safety of food products in AB. To encourage/assist the food industry (food producers and processors) to develop and implement food safety process control systems. Contact Us We want to hear what you have to say about our programs. Click here to find a food safety specialist in your area. To provide comments, feedback or ask questions, call 780-415-4513 (to be connected toll free call 310-0000), or email the AHA! team aha@gov.ab.ca Selecting a Qualified Food Safety Consultant Click the icon below for tips on selecting a qualified food safety consultant. AHA! Good News Stories Click the icon below to view the good news stories.

What's Coming Up For Alberta Processors! 1. AFPA Food Safety and Quality Conference - February 29, 2012 in Edmonton For more information and to register, go to the following link: http://www.afpa.com/notesatt/00606-1.pdf 2. Lean + Food Safety training - February 7, 2012 in Calgary or February 9, 2012 in Edmonton The Lean Journey is an interactive, online resource specifically for the food processing industry to learn about continuous improvement through lean thinking principles and tools. This web resource includes practical, user friendly tools for owners, managers and line staff. A new module is being developed that combines the lean approach with food safety principles and practices. For more information contact Nicola at 1-403-948-8511. 3. FSSC 22000 Understanding and Implementation Training: March 1-2, 2012 in Calgary This information-packed course is designed to review the detailed requirements of the FSSC 22000 Food Safety Certification Scheme. As FSSC 22000 has been recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), it allows companies that achieve FSSC 22000 certification to meet the requirements of several global retailers or major branded food companies under a single, internationally-recognized food safety management system. The course will also provide step-by-step introductions for the implementation of a food safety management system through a practical series of hands-on activities and case studies. There is no charge for attendees. For more information contact Wanda at 780-415-4522. Tools and Resources AHA! Standard AHA! Guidebook AHA! Recognition AHA Recognition Protocol Benefits of AHA! AHA! Certified Facilities AHA! Workbooks Gap Assessments Training Corner (dvd's and training documents)

Growing Forward Funding Visit Growing Forward FAQ'S Click the icon below to view the FAQ's. Food Safety Links Alberta Food Processors Association BC Small Scale Food Processors Association Generic pre-requisite programs Documents for written food safety system Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) FAQ''s Food allergen labelling Food labelling and advertising HACCP/Food safety enhancement program Reference listing of accepted construction materials, packaging materials, and non-food chemical products Meat hygiene manual of procedures Food Safety Magazine Leduc Food Processing Development Centre USDA Bad Bug Book United States: Export Link - For more information on the Food Safety Modernization Act, please contact Wanda Aubee at 780-415-4522. Food Processing HR Council Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) AHA! certified facilities Click here to view a list of certified facilities.