Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

The HACCP team should list all of the hazards that may be reasonably expected to occur at each step of the process. Once this has been completed, each of the hazards identified must be assessed for significance (likelihood x severity) and then consideration is given to what controls can be applied to each of the hazards.

Hazard analysis must consider the following:

1. Raw Material Hazards (incoming goods)
2. Process Hazards (steps, equipment)
3. Product Hazards (intended or unintended use)

The basis for all HACCP plans is to ensure the foundational requirements of GHP’s are established, specific to the type of operation and products produced. GHP’s include but are not limited to; facility design, cleanliness, personal hygiene and practices. These are often called Pre-Requisites that must be established before the HACCP Plan.

There is no single preferred CCP determination methodology. It is up to the food business and the HACCP team to apply a methodology of its choosing, on the condition the approach used consistently and accurately identifies CCPs.

For each critical control point identified, a critical limit must be established to control the identified significant food safety hazard. Critical limits can be measurable or observable and should ideally have the capability to be monitored and measured in real time which separate acceptability from unacceptability of the food.

Each DDP must be scientifically validated before being implemented.

Monitoring of CCPs is the scheduled measurement or observation at a CCP relative to its critical limits. The monitoring procedures should be able to detect a deviation at the CCP so that product can be isolated and issue resolved.

Despite having spent a considerable amount of time and resources on the development of the HACCP plan there will be instances when loss of control is experienced. In such instances it is important that the process is brought back under control as soon as possible and that established corrective actions are implemented.

Before the HACCP plan can be implemented, its validation is needed; this ensures that it is capable of controlling the significant hazards identified. Verification includes activities such as; monitoring record reviews, calibration, sampling, corrective actions, and other methods to ensure the HACCP plan is working as intended.

Documentation and record-keeping is essential to the application of a HACCP system and should be appropriate to the size of the organization. All HACCP procedures should be documented. To ensure that an organization can demonstrate effective control of critical safety (and quality activities if appropriate), documentation must demonstrate that hazards have been correctly identified and that critical limits are valid. Records must provide objective evidence that all monitoring, corrective action and verification activities have been conducted.