HACCP Principles and Food Safety Management Systems
What to know
HACCP is a systematic, preventive system built on seven principles: (1) conduct a hazard analysis; (2) determine critical control points (CCPs); (3) establish critical limits; (4) monitor CCPs; (5) establish corrective actions; (6) verify; (7) keep records. Before the principles, candidates must know the preliminary steps: assemble the team, describe the product, identify intended use, construct a flow diagram, and verify it on site.
Distinguish a CCP (a point where control is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level) from a control point (a step controlling a hazard that is not critical). Critical limits must be measurable - e.g. 75 °C core temperature, pH ≤ 4.6. Monitoring must be continuous or frequent enough to detect loss of control.
Traps
- Calling every control a CCP - over-labelling dilutes the system.
- Confusing verification (is the system working?) with validation (is the control scientifically capable?).
- Setting vague critical limits ('cooked properly').
- Forgetting that HACCP sits within prerequisite programmes (hygiene, pest control, training).
Rule of thumb
A CCP must be tied to a significant hazard identified in the analysis and must have a measurable limit, a monitor, and a defined corrective action. If any of these is missing, it is not a true CCP.
Worked example
Cooking chicken: hazard = Salmonella; CCP = cooking step; critical limit = core temperature ≥ 75 °C; monitoring = probe thermometer each batch; corrective action = recook or discard; verification = calibration and record review.