The Ultimate HACCP Plan and Food Safety Guide
Know more about the HACCP system and HACCP plans. Use this guide as a proactive approach to mitigate food safety risks.
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Know more about the HACCP system and HACCP plans. Use this guide as a proactive approach to mitigate food safety risks.
A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point or HACCP is a food safety system that identifies possible dangers in food preparation and prevents them from happening. HACCP empowers a proactive approach to food safety by setting critical control points—mitigating food safety risks and hazards. The system looks for three main types of hazards: biological (like bacteria), chemical (like cleaning products), and physical (like broken glass or metal pieces).
A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan is a systematic way of controlling and managing hazards in the food manufacturing industry. Using a HACCP plan ensures food products are safe and of high quality. It helps protect consumers from foodborne illnesses and reduce instances of product recalls, helping companies save money and protecting them from hefty fines and laborious lawsuits. It can also be used with other frameworks and standards such as ISO 22000 and IFS Food Standard.
Developing an effective HACCP plan requires guidance. Below are 7 principles that serve as HACCP guidelines:
An effective hazard analysis involves listing the steps in the production process and identifying the hazards associated with each task performed. Afterwards, the HACCP team should assess the severity, significance, and frequency of the risk and set preventive measures. Browse this page to learn how to perform a systematic risk assessment.
A Critical Control Point or CCP is a step in the production process where you have the opportunity to prevent, mitigate, or completely eliminate a food safety hazard (e.g., receiving products, food preparation and handling, cooking, reheating, transportation, etc.).
A critical limit is the minimum/ maximum value for the control measure at a CCP to prevent, eliminate, or reduce the occurrence of a hazard. It separates safe and acceptable products from the unsafe and unacceptable. Examples include measuring time, temperature, pH levels, and other measures based on regulatory standards. This is supported by records documented in a food storage temperature control checklist, a time as a public health control template, and a continuous temperature monitoring checklist.
Monitoring CCPs regularly helps keep track of the operation to determine if there’s a deviation from the CCP or a loss of control. Monitored CCPs can provide data for proper documentation to help establish corrective actions.
Corrective actions must be placed when preventive measures are not sufficient to meet the goals of the plan. Corrective actions are followed when there is a deviation from a critical limit. HACCP teams should identify the problem and the disposition of the hazardous product. Make sure that corrective actions are recorded and properly documented.
Verifying a HACCP plan should not be limited to just monitoring the operation, you must validate if the HACCP system is operating according to the intended course of action. Examples of verification activities include product testing, consulting experts, in-plant observations, instrument calibration, and log reviews.
A detailed HACCP plan record serves as strong evidence that the manufactured food is safe and has undergone critical procedures to cover all possible risks. All records should contain complete information of the 5 prerequisites and 7 principles.
A HACCP Plan is most effective by performing each step thoroughly and rigorously. The HACCP team must be committed to regularly validating the process and identifying what might go wrong. To support the HACCP plan, a good manufacturing practice (GMP) can be established to ensure all manufacturing procedures are safe and comply with manufacturing standards.
When preparing and processing food, some natural hazards could be present in the form of insects or filth. Other hazards could be unintentional like the presence of hair or mislabeling of ingredients. Higher risk hazards can include intentional adulteration or contamination of products by not adhering to regulatory food standards.
Food production safety should be the topmost priority for food manufacturers. Here are the 5 prerequisites to developing a good HACCP plan.
Identify who’s involved – Assemble a multidisciplinary HACCP team which represents individuals from all areas of the facility. (e.g. QA, R&D, Sanitation, Maintenance, Shipping and Receiving, Production and Purchasing, etc)
Describe the product and its purpose – Have your HACCP team describe the food and its intended use. Define processing methods and how it is distributed.
Know your consumers – Determine the target consumers, this could be the general public or a particular demographic with specific needs. (e.g. infants, pregnant women, the elderly, etc.).
Create a flow diagram – To further understand the product and its production process, develop a flow diagram to clearly outline the steps of the whole plan.
Verify your diagram – Evaluate the accuracy and completeness of the flow diagram by conducting inspections during actual work operations.
A CCP is a pause point within a production process a business has the opportunity to prevent, mitigate, or eliminate a food safety hazard. It is accompanied by a critical limit which is a set boundary where measurements must stay within to minimize food safety hazards. Any deviations from the critical limit must be accompanied by predefined corrective actions to fix the issue.
CCP monitoring involves scheduled measurements and record keeping of CCPs to ensure they are within their critical limits. It typically involves using a CCP monitoring form to log readings and corrective actions. Log readings will be accurate if a temperature sensor verification form is used. Here is a framework including examples and record-keeping tips on how to perform effective CCP monitoring:
CCP Monitoring Framework | |||
Item | Description | Example | Record Keeping Tips |
CCP Step | A key step in the production process which is at risk of food safety hazards. This step should be able to be paused and monitored. | Reprocessing of poultry involving vacuuming and trimming | Your HACCP team should identify and prioritize this as part of their hazard analysis and document it in a HACCP plan template |
Critical Limit | Set boundaries where measurements must stay within to minimize food safety hazards | No visible fecal contamination and 20-50ppm chlorine | Include detailed staff instructions in your record keeping tool on how to perform measurements and check against critical limits |
Monitoring Procedure | Establishes the frequency of monitoring, by whom, what to observe, and how to observe. | Line supervisor will conduct hourly random sampling to check for visible fecal matter. Line supervisor to check chlorine every 2 hours. | HACCP routine monitoring records should include date, time, photo evidence, staff doing the monitoring, and observation details. |
Corrective Actions | Details the steps to take if critical limits are not met. | Reprocess or condemn. Adjust and recheck chlorinator. | Corrective/ Deviation Action Log |
HACCP Verifications | CCP monitoring tools and records are checked. | Daily check of records. Chemical testing once a day. | Ideally done and recorded by a designated staff who did not conduct the CCP monitoring. |
Using a corrective action log, details of the deviation from critical limits and the corresponding corrective action done should be recorded every time they happen. It is important to capture the exact date and time as well as the name of the staff who carried out the action.
Verification is a crucial principle of HACCP that helps confirm if a HACCP Plan is being followed and if the procedures implemented are indeed effective in controlling food safety hazards. Recordkeeping verification helps review corrective actions taken and ensures that they are done properly. A CCP validation template can document proof that your critical control points are working to implement food safety during operations.
Trends in the frequency and types of deviations from critical limits can be observed through verification, documented using a critical control point verification form. If done routinely, verification can help in the consistent implementation and continuous improvement of the HACCP system.
See how Marley Spoon, a trusted food delivery business in Australia, uses technology to mitigate food safety risks and ensure each step of the production aligns with their HACCP plan.
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