Global R&D

Food safety

Consumers' concerns are paramount when referring to food safety. Indeed, safety has become the most important "ingredient" in our food, and we expect increasingly higher standards.

Food safety can be defined as controlling consumer health and safety by eliminating: naturally occurring or exogenous contaminants, pathogens and potentially toxic additives.

For food products, steel cans offer 100% protection as well as protection from moisture, oxygen, light or odours that can impair the quality of foods.

HACCP system: the challenge of food safety

Based on the simple notion that prevention is better than cure, HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is a proactive process control system to ensure food quality. The system consists in:

• Hazard analysis
• Identifying critical control points (CCP)
• Monitoring CCP requirements
• Verification and controlling processes.

In order to eliminate any health risks for consumers and thus anticipate any risks with products intended to come into contact with foodstuffs, ArcelorMittal has implemented the HACCP system.

The HACCP quality management system focuses in particular on the microbiological, chemical and physical safety of food products. It provides a science-based and systematic approach to assessing specific hazards associated with manufacturing, distribution and utilization of foodstuffs and to establishes control systems.
Already implemented by customers and customers’ customers, HACCP system ensures that ArcelorMittal meets the most demanding food safety requirements.

The food safety control system applies to all operations from the minute the steel leaves the coating lines to packaging of the coils and sheet. It also covers the composition of the raw materials used to produce the coils, tin, packaging...

At ArcelorMittal, the HACCP system encompasses the following stages:

• Identify specific hazards at each site.
  Any point, place, person, operation or protocol for which the loss of control may engender an unacceptable level of risk for product quality. This applies to all products, stages or operations at which control can be applied to prevent and eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
• Assess and establish critical limits for these hazards.
• Control critical points.
  «All biological (microorganisms, toxins, etc.), chemical (lubricants, additive, preservatives, etc.) or physical (foreign bodies, insects, hairs, etc.) factors that can engender an unacceptable risk for the health and safety of the consumer or product quality.»
• Implement continuous monitoring (through audits).
• Implement corrective measures if necessary.