What are Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)?
The well-being of your customers and the success of your business depend on the safety of your food. A HACCP plan helps companies in the food sector eliminate food hazards or at least reduce them to acceptable levels. [1]
Let’s take a look at what HACCP is, why it's important for your business and how to create and implement an effective HACCP plan.
What is HACCP?
HACCP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, is a widely accepted food safety management system. This systematic approach to food safety handles potential risks at every step of the chain, beginning with raw material production. The overarching goal of any HACCP plan is to produce a safe product. [2] This is why having a such a plan in place is vital for any business in the food industry.
What is HACCP important?
HACCP is critical to ensure the compliance, safety, and success of your business. Having a robust HACCP plan doesn't just ensure your food is fit for human consumption, it can also protect and benefit your business in numerous ways. These include:
Reducing the risk of foodborne illness
Most obviously, having an effective HACCP plan can prevent bacteria, viruses, and parasites from contaminating the foods or beverages your establishment serves. This is not only vital for the wellbeing of your customers, but it also protects your business's reputation. If a guest falls ill due to your food, they are likely to file a complaint, leave a bad review, tell their friends and acquaintances, or even worse, they may report you to the health and sanitation authorities. Having an HAACP plan is key to building both customer trust and your company's success.
Legal protection
In the worst-case scenario, having a documented food safety program can help protect your food business. Just make sure to keep documents that show you are following a HACCP food safety management system.
Safeguarding your revenue
Customer complaints can be very costly. This is due to the cost of legal fees, increased insurance premiums, and administrative time to manage them. A study from the Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that a single foodborne illness outbreak could cost a restaurant millions of dollars. [3] Ensuring your food is safe by having an HACCP plan can reduce the likelihood of customer complaints and save your business a considerable amount of money.
Compliance with international trade standards
A HACCP plan is not necessarily a legal requirement for all food companies in the U.S. However, it is widely recognized as best practice when it comes to food safety, so much so that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends it for its effectiveness. [4]
Keep in mind that some states may have their own regulations requiring HACCP for certain food companies. So it is a good idea to familiarize yourself and any relevant staff with local food industry regulatory requirements.
What are some common food safety hazards?
Hazard identification involves three potential sources of damage: biological, chemical, and physical — defined as follows [5]:
Biological hazards
These include microorganisms such as bacteria (like Vibrio cholerae) and parasites (like tapeworms), which can cause diseases and infections. Food can be contaminated with biological hazards through unsafe handling by suppliers and kitchen staff as well as pest infestations.
Chemical hazards
These potential sources of damage are linked to different stages of food production. For example, chemical contamination can occur through improper use of pesticides on crops or additives in animal feed. Additionally, chemical hazards can occur in substances that are safe in certain concentrations but not in others. An example of this is sodium nitrate, an effective meat preservative, which if consumed in high quantities, can lead to respiratory issues.
Physical hazards
This category includes physical agents that don’t belong in food and may be hard or sharp. Glass, metal, plastic, pits, even false nails and hair are potential hazards. These threats are crucial to avoid as they could lead to choking, cuts, or broken teeth. Physical hazard contamination arises from improper food handling and lack of personal hygiene and safety (not keeping hair tied back and basic hand hygiene, for example).
The seven steps of HACCP
A HACCP plan is comprised of seven basic principles designed to help you identify, evaluate, and control food safety risks.
Keep in mind that these are principles meant to be tailored to your establishment's characteristics, including products and processes. [3] Even facility size should be a consideration, as this will impact hazard types and quantity as well as how to control them effectively.
In general, the HACCP plan steps are: [2]
1. Perform a hazard analysis
You can only manage the risks you’re aware of and that is precisely the goal of a hazard evaluation. You can practice effective hazard analysis by answering the following questions:
• What are the potential sources of damage?
• Where are they likely to occur?
• Can they be prevented, controlled or eliminated? How?
Adding details on the criteria you used and logic you followed will be helpful to build on your analysis in the future, in case a new member of your team takes over this task, or in the worst case, to protect you in case of any unforeseen consequences.
2. Establish Critical Control Points (CCPs)
A Critical Control Point (CCP) is a moment in the food chain where a safety hazard can occur and a control measure can be applied. This could mean eliminating it or reducing it to a safe level.
Critical control and preventive measures can be applied in the food production process when:
• Chilling to temperatures that minimize the presence and reproduction of bacterium, viruses and other microorganisms that can cause disease (biological hazards).[6]
• Avoiding overcooking or undercooking. For example, ensuring meats are cooked at the recommended temperature and duration.
• Taking steps to prevent cross-contamination of raw materials with allergens through thorough handwashing and proper surface cleaning.
• Using clean packaging materials to prevent contamination of finished products.
Keep in mind that regulatory authorities such as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) come up with CCP guidelines. So you only need to familiarise yourself with their recommendations and adapt them to your business’s needs.
3. Determine critical limits
A critical limit specifies the acceptable maximum/minimum value that certain factors — biological, chemical, or physical —should reach at a CCP. [2] They must be measurable and observable, like: [1]
• Moisture level
• Water activity
• Temperature
While the FSA provides guidelines, you must adapt them to your business’s unique context. If falling outside the parameters, you have to take corrective actions to ensure the safety of your food products.
4. Establish monitoring procedures
Monitoring techniques should be implemented to measure the parameters and conditions of every CCP to prevent hazardous food. Effective CCP monitoring is based on a number of factors. These include deciding who is responsible for taking the measurement, how it is taken, and when it is taken.
Examples of CCP monitoring actions include observing and measuring: [1]
• Temperature
• Moisture level
• pH
• Water activity
Microbiological testing is also an effective monitoring procedure to ensure the safe production of food. Regular microbial testing of samples—including raw ingredients and finished products—allows you to track microorganism growth and prevent a biological hazard.
Ultimately, CCP monitoring procedures allow you to know when corrective actions are needed. So, make sure to keep monitoring records that include date, time, and results to ensure clarity. These documents can then be used for future reviews to ensure the consistent effectiveness of your procedures.
5. Determine corrective actions
Corrective actions are immediate steps taken to address non-compliance of critical limits and safety concerns. They must be in place when preventive control measures are not sufficient. [6] For example, if the internal temperature of cooked chicken falls below the critical limit due to improper holding.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) specifies that corrective actions should cover the following elements [6]:
- Determine and correct the cause of the deviation.
- Decide what to do with the non-compliant product.
- Determine future course of action.
- Designate someone responsible for taking these actions.
- Ensure all staff are trained in taking these actions.
- Make a note of the corrective action that has been taken in official documentation.
Remember, corrective actions should be taken swiftly to prevent the hazard from causing any harm.
6. Establish verification procedures
Verification activities confirm that your HACCP plan is working effectively. This stage has three main components:
1. Validation
Validation ensures your HACCP plan is backed up by evidence. This means you first need to gather data (such as microbiological studies and temperature records), then evaluate each decision made in your plan, and finally, confirm that those judgments align with the scientific facts.
If individual judgments prove correct, then your HACCP plan is likely valid.
2. Verification
This step confirms if the monitoring procedures and corrective actions in your HACCP plan work in practice. Doing so can provide you with confidence that potential hazards are being managed as intended. Some procedures for verification include:
• Taking the oven temperature to ensure it adheres to critical limits.
• Running external audits on your suppliers to make sure raw materials meet your criteria.
• Gathering customer feedback to identify potential gaps in your HACCP plan.
• Conducting a record review.
These measures can help you identify ways to increase the safety of the food you produce, as well as your overall business.
3. Review
Reviewing keeps your HACCP plan up to date and reflecting any changes in regulatory standards. Consider scheduling frequent reviews into your plan, even if just to confirm nothing has changed.
Keep in mind that additional reviews may be necessary if you introduce new processing methods, ingredients, or equipment or if you change your establishment's layout.
7. Set up record-keeping and documentation procedures
Keeping an accurate record of your procedures is a vital aspect of your HAACP plan. Detailed documentation facilitates audits and provides evidence of due diligence in the event of a food safety incident. This can protect you and your business from legal penalties.
Points to consider when creating your monitoring records
• Who is responsible for the records?
• How will they be stored?
• Do you need copies?
• How long should the records be kept for?
What to include in your records? [7]
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Supporting documents such as scientific studies
• Performed corrective actions
By following these principles, you can keep your business safe. Bear in mind that you should always tailor your food safety plan to your establishment's products and processes. [8] For example, a plan may differ based on a facility's size, as this will impact how hazards are identified and controlled.
Lastly, an effective HACCP plan is one that is up-to-date, so ensure you regularly refresh it.
HACCP training recommendations
The successful implementation of your HACCP plan relies on your employees. Here are some things to keep in mind when training them:
Communicate the importance of food safety
For staff to understand the importance of HACCP, they must also understand the importance of safe food. Make sure you educate them on the different types of food safety hazards and what can happen if they are not controlled. This includes teaching your employees that food safety systems are critical not only for customers’ health but for their own too.
Consider sharing case studies of actual incidents within the food industry where contamination of food items led to illnesses. This knowledge can serve as a powerful motivator for employees to adhere to HACCP guidelines.
Also, reinforce the potential impact on the business itself. This may include reminding staff of reputational and legal issues that could result from food safety incidents and risk their livelihoods.
Above all, encourage open dialogue and asking questions to ensure that your employees understand the role they play in executing the HACCP plan. This will be vital in maintaining a safe and hygienic food environment.
Use high-quality training materials
Clear, concise, and accessible HACCP training materials are critical to ensure your employees are all on the same page. Consider incorporating visual aids, such as infographics or flow diagrams to simplify tricky concepts. You can supplement your own materials with online training courses from organizations specialized in HACCP training.
Whichever route you take, ensure the materials are regularly revised so that they reflect updates to your HACCP plan and food safety laws. And don’t forget to give your staff refresher training whenever that happens.
Offer continuous evaluation and feedback
Implement periodical evaluations to check your employees' understanding of HACCP principles and the specific plan for your establishment. Keep records of their results to track improvements over time and recognize effort where it’s due. Providing constructive feedback and support as needed not only ensures proficiency in food safety procedures, but happier staff too.
Regular feedback shows commitment to your staff's development and creates a culture of accountability. It also reinforces trust and mutual respect between management and staff. This, in turn, will have a positive effect on your HACCP practices and overall business. Just remember that feedback is a two-way street and your employees’ input is valuable too, as they can help identify areas for improvement.
The importance of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points plan for anyone working in the food industry cannot be underestimated. By following the seven principles of HACCP, you can identify, evaluate, and control food safety risks for your customers and staff. Additionally, it ensures your establishment complies with regulatory agencies. Ultimately, proper implementation of a HACCP plan can increase customer satisfaction and protect your business. An effective HACCP plan is a critical part of food hygiene standards, combine your knowledge with our guide to food hygiene and safety to ensure your establishment is safe for all.
Reference
[1] https://food.unl.edu/article/haccp-seven-principles
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