Records

HACCP needs two kinds of paperwork. Documents describe the system: the hazard analysis, how CCPs and limits were decided, the evidence that the limits work, and any changes to the plan. Records show what actually happened: monitoring results, deviations and corrective actions, and verification carried out.

UK law says documents and records must suit the nature and size of the business. Documents describing the procedures must be kept up to date, and other records must be kept for an appropriate period. The law sets no single period. A sensible approach is to think about how long the food could be in use, and how long a complaint might take to arrive.

A useful record shows what was checked, the date and time, the result, any action taken, and who did it. If you make a mistake, put a single line through it so that it can still be read, write the correct entry and initial it. Do not use correction fluid or tear out a page.

Records do not have to be complicated. Codex says a simple system can be effective. It can use existing paperwork, such as delivery invoices and checklists, and records can be kept electronically.

There is flexibility here too. Codex accepts that certain types of business may record monitoring results only when there is a deviation, instead of recording every result. This should not put food safety at risk. Your business must follow its own procedures, so if your procedure says record every check, record every check.

Good records support the legal defence of due diligence, which means showing that all reasonable precautions were taken and all due diligence exercised. Records that are false, or filled in later from memory, do the opposite. They suggest that the system exists only on paper.