Cost-benefit analysis of HACCP implementation in the Mexican meat industry

This paper reports the levels of HACCP implementation, costs of implementation and operation, and benefits of implementation for the Mexican meat industry. One hundred and sixty Federal Inspection Type (TIF) enterprises were surveyed, with a 58% response rate. Only 18% of the TIF enterprises interviewed had totally adopted HACCP, while 20% did not have an interest in adoption. The norm of ISO 9000 appeared to be an intermediate step in HACCP implementation. The results show that investment in new equipment and microbiological tests of products accounted for most of the implementation and operational costs, respectively. The main benefit reported was reduction in microbial counts, while staff training was reported as a significant problem. The study shows that although the level of total HACCP implementation is not high, HACCP has implications for both the domestic and international markets. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.