[Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in the food industry]

The GMP-Rules, which were formulated by the WHO in 1969, were passed into German national lay by April 1st, 1985 as "Betriebsverordnung für pharmazeutische Unternehmer". The aim of this law is to guarantee constant quality of medical supplies. The food producing industry is facing similar requirements formulated either within the Codex Alimentarius or within the Code of Hygienic Practice of FDA (General Requirements for Food Manufacture). The degree of realization for these concepts of quality assurance however is varying extremely between different areas of food production. The requirements with regard to buildings, production plants, process technology, distribution and personnel hygiene as well as the principles of the HAAC-concept are described using examples from soft cheese, milk powder- and sweets industry.