Most food raw materials have potential hazards associated with them - be they chemical, microbiological or physical. But some hazards are a greater risk to the final product than others.

How do food manufacturers and processors objectively decide which hazards need specific attention? To help answer this question, Campden BRI has published new guidance on raw material risk assessment.

Risk assessment and management of raw materials (Guideline 65) (see http://www.campden.co.uk/publ/pubDetails.asp?pubsID=4550) provides specific guidance on the application of risk assessment techniques to identify, evaluate and control hazards associated with raw materials in a food, drink or feed manufacturing environment.

The guidance will be of most use to companies looking to develop or update a procedure for raw material assessment, giving them more confidence in the food safety management procedures they have in place.

The guidance is designed to be compatible with that given in Campden BRI Guideline 42 - HACCP: A Practical Guide. It may be used by both large and small businesses, the approach for each being the same, although the level of complexity, associated procedures and documentation would be significantly different.