Health safety of bread in small bakeries

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present the safety and health risks in the production process of bread, supported by research in small bakeries located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Design/methodology/approach: The literature research and the critical analysis of both,the national and foreign subject literature have been used as the research methodology. Findings: Health safety of bread is one of the features that decide its quality. This paper additionally presents other determinants influencing the quality of bread. It also demonstrates opinions showing food safety as a separate attribute of quality. The paper cites Polish domestic and EU legislation in the areas of food safety, as well as competences of sanitary inspection bodies. The major part of the paper is devoted to the identification of types and potential sources of health threats in the production process of bread and the prevailing prevention system, i.e. HACCP. The research on the structure of the bread and the level of implementation of HACCP was performed in Pomeranian small bakeries, which form 89.4% of the overall Pomeranian bakeries. Practical implications: Practical implications include taking into account the indicated determinants that affect the quality of bread will be an important solution in making a number of decisions by managers and bakery owners in terms of strategic use of them. Originality/value: Proper implementation of the principles of bread health safety as one of the features that determine the quality of the product, as well as the determination of other determinants that affect the quality of bread, allows to build and maintain a long-term competitive advantage in small bakeries in the bakery industry. Natural identification of the types and potential sources of health risks in the bakery production process and the applicable systems of counteracting these risks, e.g. HACCP, will have a major impact on the long-term process of innovative management of managers and owners of small bakeries