Who was responsible for determining what hazards to control after 1997?

After 1997, the responsibility for determining what hazards needed to be controlled fell to the organization's HACCP team. This change emphasized the role of individual organizations in identifying and managing their specific food safety hazards based on their processes, products, and procedures. The HACCP team is tasked with conducting thorough hazard analyses relevant to their operations, ensuring that any potential biological, chemical, or physical hazards are recognized and addressed appropriately. This approach allows for more tailored and effective food safety management, as it reflects the unique characteristics and risks associated with each organization's food production processes.

The other options encompass entities that may play a role in food safety, but they do not directly execute the hazard determination process within a specific facility. The food safety authority sets regulations and standards but does not conduct the specific hazard analysis for individual organizations. Similarly, the local health department may inspect and provide guidance but does not take responsibility for internal hazard analysis. The Codex committee provides international food safety guidelines, but it is the HACCP team within a business that applies these guidelines and assesses hazards relevant to their own operations.