HACCP study guide
HACCP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point: a preventive, science-based system for identifying, controlling and documenting food safety hazards from raw material through finished product. A HACCP certification exam is designed to confirm that a candidate can do more than recite definitions - it tests whether they can help build, operate and defend a working HACCP plan inside a real food business. The HACCP study guide has 5 sections and about 1,619 words.
01Prerequisite Programs and Food Safety Foundations
A HACCP plan does not stand alone. It sits on a foundation of prerequisite programs (PRPs): GMPs covering buildings, equipment and personnel hygiene; sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs); supplier approval; allergen control; pest control; potable water; maintenance and calibration; glass and brittle-plastic control; training; and traceability and recall.
318 words, about 2 min02Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment
Hazard analysis is Principle 1 and the most heavily examined. Break hazards into biological (pathogens such as Salmonella , Listeria monocytogenes , E.
321 words, about 2 min03Critical Control Points and Critical Limits
A CCP is a step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level. The Codex decision tree is guidance, not law: answer it honestly, because applied mechanically it can create a CCP for a hazard already controlled elsewhere or push a genuine CCP into a PRP.
328 words, about 2 min04Monitoring and Corrective Actions
Monitoring is the scheduled observation or measurement of a CCP to confirm the CL is met. For each CCP the plan states what is measured, how, when or how often, and who does it.
321 words, about 2 min05Verification, Validation and Recordkeeping
These two words are the most commonly swapped pair in HACCP examinations. Validation asks: is this control measure capable of achieving the intended effect?
331 words, about 2 min