The seven HACCP principles

Every food business must put in place, apply and maintain procedures based on HACCP principles. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. The procedures must be proportionate to the size and activity of the business. A sandwich bar and a ready-meal factory both need them, but not in the same detail.

HACCP asks you to think ahead. Instead of testing food at the end, you work out what could go wrong at each step and control it before the food reaches the customer.

There are seven principles. First, identify the hazards that must be prevented, removed or reduced. Hazards can be microbiological, chemical, physical or allergenic. Second, identify the critical control points. These are the steps where control is essential to prevent or remove a hazard, or to reduce it to a safe level. Third, set critical limits that separate safe from unsafe. Fourth, set up monitoring at the critical control points. Fifth, set corrective actions for when monitoring shows that control has been lost. Sixth, set verification procedures to show that the system works. Seventh, keep documents and records that suit the size of the business.

Take cooked chicken for wraps as an example. At the cooking step, the hazard is that Salmonella or Campylobacter survive. Cooking is a critical control point, because no later step will remove them. The critical limit is 75°C for 30 seconds at the core, or an equivalent. Monitoring is probing the thickest piece in each batch. The corrective action is to keep cooking until the limit is reached. Verification is the supervisor's review of the records, the monthly probe check and watching the cook at work. The record is the batch sheet or diary.

Not every control is a critical control point. Cleaning, pest control, maintenance, training, supplier checks and personal hygiene are often called prerequisites. They are the foundations of a HACCP system. If the kitchen is dirty or the staff are untrained, a perfect HACCP plan will still fail.

Do not confuse monitoring with verification. Monitoring is the check made during the work: is this fridge within its limit now? Verification checks the system: are the checks being done, are they correct, and does the plan really keep food safe? A supervisor who reviews records, audits a shift or arranges swab tests is verifying.

Review your procedures whenever something changes. A new dish, supplier, piece of equipment or way of working may bring a new hazard.