general
HACCP and traceability: the role of technical alarms
A technical alarm is no longer just a notification system: in agri-food it's part of the HACCP system and of the documentation auditors expect. Without exportable, timestamped history, the prerequisite plan is incomplete under most modern certifications.
What HACCP requires for temperature and monitoring
HACCP requires identifying critical control points (CCP), setting critical limits, monitoring continuously and documenting deviations. In practice, for an agri-food plant:
- Cold-storage temperature: CCP under Reg. 853/2004.
- Milk tank temperature: CCP on dairy farms (<6 °C after 2 h).
- Poultry environment (not CCP but welfare prerequisite): continuous tracking.
- Electrical panels for critical processes: fault monitoring.
"Continuous monitoring" in 2026 is no longer accepted as an Excel sheet filled out by the operator three times a day. Modern certifications (IFS, BRC, GlobalGAP, integrators) require automatic timestamped logs.
What auditors ask for
An IFS or BRC auditor will typically request:
- Temperature history for every CCP over the last 6 to 12 months.
- Documentation of each deviation: when, what temperature, how long, what corrective action, who authorized release or discard.
- Probe calibration evidence (at least annual).
- Alerting-system functional tests (once a year, simulating a fault).
A technical alarm with exportable history and event log resolves points 1 and 2 directly, and supports 3 and 4 with real data instead of paperwork.
How to build the log HACCP wants
Minimum log you need for audit:
- Periodic readings per probe with ISO-8601 timestamp (ideally every 30-60 s).
- Alarm events: when it fired, which threshold, how long, which channel was used, who acknowledged.
- Corrective actions: free-text or dropdown to record what was done (reset, move, discard…).
- Configuration changes: when someone edits a threshold, who and when is logged.
Aviot keeps these four event types by default and exports them to CSV. The audit becomes opening the file and filtering by date.
Calibration: the detail that gets forgotten
Industrial probes (PT100, NTC, humidity probes) drift over time. Serious certifications require documented periodic calibration. Good practice:
- Initial factory calibration with certificate.
- In-situ verification yearly with a reference standard (NIST-traceable thermometer).
- Preventive replacement at 3-5 years per vendor.
Aviot's history lets you see each probe's drift: if one starts to deviate from the others progressively, you spot it before the auditor asks.
What changes in 2026-2027
New IFS and BRC versions ask for more digital data, less paper. Integration with management systems (plant ERP, SCADA, integrator platforms) gains weight. A technical alarm with API or webhooks lets you feed the central systems without re-typing.
If your current system doesn't export or has no API, your next customer audit or certification will ask for one that does. Aviot supports SCADA and PLC integration.