What is HACCP?

Food safety is one of the most important parts of running any food-related business – whether you’re a small café or a global hospitality chain. Making sure that food meets safety standards protects customers and your reputation – and in the UK, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) says that your food safety management system should be based on the universally accepted principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) framework.

But what does HACCP mean? What exactly is it? And how do you implement it? That’s what we’re here to help you with. In this comprehensive blog, we’ll take you through the HACCP principles, why it’s important and how to implement it in your business.

 

What does HACCP stand for?

As we’ve already touched on, HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It’s a systematic approach to identifying, evaluating and controlling food safety hazards, and it’s internationally recognised and serves as the foundation for many food safety regulations around the world.

 

The seven principles of HACCP

A common question on this topic is ‘How many principles of HACCP are there?’. Well, there are seven principles of HACCP that set out how to create a robust HACCP plan. Let’s take a look.

Conduct a hazard analysis

The first principle involves identifying potential hazards. There are three main types of food safety hazards:

• Microbiological hazards e.g. bacteria and viruses
• Chemical e.g. cleaning products
• Physical e.g. objects like glass or hair

This step lays the groundwork for the entire HACCP system, so it’s important to be thorough.

Identify critical control points (CCPs)

Critical control points are the points, steps or procedures where “control can be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level”. A critical control point might control more than one food safety hazard, or more than one critical control point might be needed to control a single hazard. Examples of CCPs could be cooking, cooling and packing stages.

Establish critical limits for each CCP

Once CCPs are identified, the next step is to set clear boundaries for acceptable parameters at each point. These limits could involve temperature ranges, pH levels, or time durations that must be adhered to for ensuring food safety.

Once you’ve identified the CCPs, the next step is to set clear boundaries for the critical limits at each point. A critical control limit is defined as “a maximum or minimum value to which a biological, chemical or physical parameter must be controlled at a CCP to prevent, eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level the occurrence of a food safety hazard.” This could be temperature, time, pH levels, weight or even salt concentration, and this is usually based on scientific findings and/or regulatory standards.

Establish monitoring procedures

It’s important to monitor procedures to make sure each CCP stays within its critical limits. Regular monitoring helps catch potential issues before they become bigger. This could involve checking temperatures at regular intervals or using pH strips to test acidity levels. In your monitoring procedures, you should describe…

• How the measurement will be taken
• When the measurement is taken
• Who is responsible for the measurement
• How frequently the measurement is taken during the process

Establish corrective actions

Mistakes happen, despite everyone’s best efforts – so there might be times when a deviation in the critical limit happens. Having corrective actions in place makes sure any issues can be addressed quickly. These actions could include discarding contaminated food to adjusting processing times.

Establish verification procedures

Verification procedures are needed to confirm that the HACCP system is working properly and according to the plan. This could include auditing CCPs, record review, prior shipment review, instrument calibration and product testing.

Maintain documentation and records

You might find yourself needing to prove that food was produced safely – so it’s vital to record information about your HACCP plan. Keep detailed records of hazard analysis, CCPs, critical limits, monitoring activities and corrective actions to maintain transparency and accountability. Plus, whenever Environmental Health come to visit, they’ll want to see evidence of your HACCP plan and how well you’re sticking to it.

 

Why is HACCP important?

What is the importance of HACCP guidelines? Ultimately, bad food safety management can lead to pretty serious consequences, including food poisoning outbreaks, pest infestations, wasted food, legal action and reputation damage. Here are a few reasons why HACCP is important to have in place.

Reduces foodborne illnesses

HACCP plays a vital role in preventing foodborne illnesses by controlling hazards throughout the food production chain. According to the FSA, there are around 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness each year in the UK, and eating out is estimated to cause 37% of all foodborne illnesses. By addressing the risks at each stage of production, you can reduce the chance of contamination and food poisoning hugely.

Consumer protection

Implementing a HACCP system makes sure that your food products meet safety standards, and safeguard public health and consumer trust. You could suffer reputation damage and therefore profit loss if you have food safety issues, so it’s vital to protect your customers and your brand.

Improves food safety standards

HACCP champions a proactive approach to food safety by encouraging you to identify and address hazards before they become big risks. This improves overall food safety standards and makes sure you stay compliant with regulatory and legal requirements.

 

How is HACCP implemented?

Implementing your HACCP plan involves a systematic approach that should be tailored to the needs of your business and your products. It’s recommended to consult with food safety professionals if you don’t have one in your business, who can provide guidance tailored to your needs, as well as help you produce a robust and effective HACCP plan.

By understanding and implementing the HACCP principles, you can be safe in the knowledge that your products and dishes meet the highest safety standards, your customers are safe and your reputation and consumer trust is protected.

 

Which law introduced the need for HACCP?

Originally The European Union (EU) introduced Council Directive 93/43/EEC was introduced in 1993, making HACCP a legal requirement for EU member states. Then the EU Regulation (EC) 852/2004 came into effect on January 1 2006, which states under Article 5 that food businesses must put in place, implement and maintain a food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.

 

Get advice on HACCP with Citation

If you’re looking to implement HACCP in your business, we might just be what you’re looking for. Our Health & Safety consultants will work with you to get a clear picture of your process, identify hazards and put effective control measures in place to safeguard your business. We keep things simple, and we’ll tailor your HACCP to suit your business perfectly. Ready to start your HACCP journey? See how our Health & Safety services can support your business. Contact us today, or call us on 020 7244 1900 to get going.