What Is A HACCP Plan?

Share This

What Is A HACCP Plan?

In this article, we answer the question “What is a HACCP Plan?”

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a food safety management system, a way for food business to prevent and control hazards. HACCP is an internationally recognised system to reduce risks from physical, microbiological, allergenic or chemical hazards. There are 7 steps necessary to carry out a HACCP plan.

These are:

  1. Conduct a hazard analysis
  2. Determine critical control points (CCP)
  3. Establish critical limits for each CCP
  4. Establish a monitoring procedure for each CCP
  5. Establish corrective actions
  6. Establish verification procedures for ensuring the HACCP system is working as intended
  7. Establish record keeping procedures
Close-up of a person’s hand holding a document titled "What is a HACCP Plan?" on a clipboard next to a laptop. Nearby, notebooks, a yellow pen holder, and a blue highlighter rest on the wooden desk.

Why is HACCP important?

HACCP was developed to ensure the production of safe food whilst reducing the need for costly and inefficient end-product testing. When implementing HACCP, a food production business will need to consider all aspects of the production process that might be hazardous, whilst ensuring that good hygiene practices, such as cleaning, disinfection and pest control, are also planned and followed throughout. HACCP implementation will reduce costs, produce safe food and foster a safety culture in the business.

A smiling man holds a certificate while standing in front of a wall. A picture of a pasta dish with shrimp, tomatoes, and olives is displayed on the wall behind him. He wears a dark vest over a white shirt.

Master The Art Of Food Safety - Unlock Your Potential Today!

Are you passionate about food safety and committed to delivering excellence?  Our Food Safety Courses are designed for individuals like you who refuse to compromise on safety.  Take the leap towards becoming a certified expert.  Click on the link below and unlock a world of possibilities!

What is a hazard?

When considering the production of safe food, a hazard is anything which could potentially cause injury, illness or harm to a consumer. There are four types of hazard: physical, chemical, microbiological and allergenic. For example, glass or plastic contaminating food could cause cuts to the inside of the mouth, whilst contamination from raw meat onto ready-to-eat food could cause food poisoning.

The first step in HACCP is the identification of hazards, then a decision needs to be made as to which ones require critical control points.

A notebook with "Hazard Analysis and Control Critical Points" written in red marker sits on a black surface, surrounded by graphs, papers, colorful sticky notes, and a highlighter. Curious about what is a HACCP plan? This scene captures the meticulous planning involved.

Legal requirements of HACCP

UK legislation requires all food businesses to implement a Food Safety Management System based on the HACCP principles. HACCP considers all steps in production and aims to identify those areas where hazards are present. Through the implementation of HACCP, businesses can ensure that their resources are focused on key areas, and that controls are effectively and consistently applied. UK legislation also requires that those people in charge of supervising and implementing food safety should have HACCP training.

If you have a question or enquiry about food safety, please call the team on 01452 502113 or complete our enquiry form.

If you’ve got a question or query, please contact our super friendly team, they will be delighted to help you!

Simply get in touch via phone or email.
Two booklets titled The Ultimate First Aid Checklist with a red and white cover, featuring an image of a person receiving first aid on the front. The booklets list 79 Critical Checks To Help You Manage First Aid in Your Business and contact information for Envesca.

Free
Resources &
Downloads

Informative. Useful. Practical.

Here at Envesca we believe that we are good at giving proactive, sensible and useful advice. Below you will find some free resources that you can download on a host of subjects that will help you and your business.

Training Available

Envesca offer a number of different training courses, which offer advice and guidance on these topics.

Share this article with your social Community.