Access to good quality, safe and nutritious food is considered a basic right of the people.  Consumption of unsafe, contaminated food leads to food-borne diseases which  cause considerable morbidity and mortality. In India the diseases transmitted by food are commonly referred to as food poisoning and are characterized by abrupt onset of gastrointestinal disturbances  viz. abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.  The foods most commonly involved in food-borne disease are meat and meat products, poultry, eggs, milk and milk products, sweetmeats and rice preparations. 

Besides domestic consumption, more and more food is moving across international borders for a combination of social, economic and technological reasons.  The establishment of the World Trade Organization paved the way for several multilateral agreements on trade which include agreements on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).  These agreements encourage countries to adopt international standards. In its pursuance of harmonization the SPS agreement specifically mentions the Codex Alimentarius Standards as the international standard and guideline. Within the context of the TBT agreement, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has been recognized as an international standardizing body. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a body of 165 member countries, administered jointly by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) is committed to protecting the health of the consumers, ensures fair practices in the food trade and facilitates international trade in food. The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene has recommended a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) based approach as a means to enhance food safety and has indicated how to implement the principles.

The HACCP  concept was developed in the 1960s as a system to ensure the safety of food products.  The HACCP can be defined as a system which identifies, evaluates and controls hazards which are significant for food safety. Its introduction signaled a shift in emphasis from end product testing to preventive control at all stages of food production.  The HACCP system was initially developed for use by food processors for preventing food-borne hazards. However, the application of  the HACCP system has been expanding to form a basis for regulated food control and as a standard for international food trade. It is being promoted internationally as a preventive system of hazard control that is considered to be the most effective and efficient way to ensure food safety. It is an action oriented programme to identify and reduce food-borne diseases. The application of HACCP is compatible with the implementation of quality management systems such as ISO 9000 series and is the system of choice in the management of food safety within such systems.