HACCP flashcards
HACCP · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- HACCP seven principles
- 1) hazard analysis; 2) determine CCPs; 3) establish critical limits; 4) establish monitoring; 5) establish corrective actions; 6) establish verification procedures; 7) establish documentation and recordkeeping.
- Prerequisite program (PRP)
- Basic environmental and operational conditions, control measures and activities needed to maintain a hygienic food production environment; the foundation on which a HACCP plan is built.
- SSOP
- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures: written, step-by-step procedures for daily cleaning and sanitation tasks, specifying frequency, chemicals and concentrations, responsible person, and verification of cleaning effectiveness.
- GMP
- Good Manufacturing Practices: regulations and practices covering buildings, equipment, personnel, training and operations that prevent contamination, functioning as a prerequisite program supporting HACCP.
- Codex 12 HACCP steps
- Five preliminary tasks (assemble the team, describe the product, identify intended use, construct the flow diagram, verify the diagram on site) followed by the seven HACCP principles.
- Product description
- Documented details of the food: composition, processing method, packaging, storage and distribution conditions, shelf life, and intended use, used to structure the hazard analysis.
- Process flow diagram
- A block diagram of every step from receiving through distribution; it must be verified on site against actual operations and is used to conduct the hazard analysis.
- Hazard analysis
- Systematic identification of biological, chemical and physical hazards and evaluation of their significance at each process step, producing a documented rationale for each control measure.
- Risk vs hazard
- A hazard is a potential source of harm; risk is the probability of that harm occurring together with its severity. Risk ranking is used to prioritize hazards during analysis.
- Significant hazard
- A hazard reasonably likely to occur at an unacceptable level and to cause illness or injury, established through documented justification rather than hypothetical possibility.
- Chemical hazard examples
- Unapproved pesticides, cleaning chemicals, undeclared allergens, mycotoxins, veterinary drug residues, heavy metals, packaging migrants, and process-induced chemicals such as acrylamide or histamine.
- Biological hazard sources
- Raw materials, water, ice, air, equipment surfaces, personnel, pests and cross-contamination pathways; pathogens may be introduced, survive or multiply at any step of the process.
- Susceptible population
- Groups with heightened risk or severity of foodborne illness, such as infants, young children, elderly people, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals, considered when judging hazard significance.
- Critical control point
- A step or point at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level.
- CCP decision tree
- A structured series of questions applied at each process step during the hazard analysis to determine whether that step should be designated a critical control point.
- Critical limit
- A measurable value such as temperature, time, pH, water activity or moisture that separates acceptability from unacceptability at a CCP; it must be objective and validated.
- Operating limit
- A more stringent target than the critical limit, used to provide a safety margin and trigger process adjustment before a deviation from the critical limit occurs.
- Pasteurization critical limit
- A validated time-temperature combination, such as 72 degrees Celsius for at least 15 seconds or a demonstrated equivalent lethality, that reduces target pathogens to acceptable levels in the product.
- Water activity limit
- A threshold such as water activity of 0.85 or below that restricts microbial growth and may serve as a critical limit for dry or shelf-stable foods when scientifically supported.
- CCP monitoring interval
- Continuous instruments record every unit, but operators must still verify sensor readouts at defined intervals against a calibrated reference device to confirm the instrument is accurate.
- Monitoring
- A preplanned sequence of measurements or observations at a CCP, performed by a named person at a stated frequency and recorded, to determine whether critical limits are met.
- Deviation
- Failure to meet a critical limit at a CCP; the affected product must be held and evaluated for safety, and a documented corrective action must be completed.
- Corrective action
- Documented action that regains control, identifies and eliminates the cause of a deviation, determines the disposition of affected product, and confirms the action was effective.
- Product disposition
- The decision made about product affected by a deviation: release with justification, rework, reprocess, divert to non-food use, or destroy, recorded with the supporting rationale.
- Monitoring record content
- Identifies the CCP, date and time, the measured value or observation, the equipment used, the person performing the check and a reviewer signature so results remain traceable.
- Calibration
- Comparison of an instrument's reading against a known reference standard; an out-of-calibration device invalidates monitoring data and requires product hold and safety evaluation.
- Validation
- Obtaining scientific and technical evidence before or during implementation that the control measures and critical limits, when properly applied, will effectively control the identified hazard.
- Verification
- Ongoing activities such as record review, calibration, audits and targeted testing that confirm the HACCP system operates as intended and reveal deviations requiring correction.
- Reassessment
- A scheduled or triggered re-evaluation of the HACCP plan following changes in product, process, equipment, packaging, raw materials or regulations, or new hazard information.
- Record retention HACCP
- Regulations set minimum retention periods, commonly two years or longer than the product shelf life; records must be dated, signed and kept in a retrievable location.
- Independent record review
- Verification of monitoring and corrective action records by a trained person other than the one who created them, at a defined frequency, confirming completeness and compliance.
- Verification frequency
- Set by product risk, process complexity and regulatory requirements; commonly record review each shift or batch, with full plan reassessment at least annually.