What Is HACCP? 7 Principles & Implementation
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a systematic food safety management system identifying, evaluating, and controlling hazards. Learn the 7 principles, who needs HACCP, implementation steps, relationship to FSMA, and certification requirements.
What Is HACCP?
Foodborne illness outbreaks result in costly recalls, lawsuits, regulatory penalties, and lost sales that can devastate food companies. HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) prevents these disasters by controlling contamination at critical points before products leave your facility. Mandatory for meat, poultry, and seafood processors under USDA and FDA regulations, HACCP is also the foundation of FSMA preventive controls and required by most major food retailers. Facilities that implement HACCP food safety systems experience significantly fewer foodborne illness outbreaks compared to facilities without systematic preventive controls.
What Are the 7 Principles of HACCP?
| Principle | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hazard Analysis | Identify biological, chemical, and physical hazards at each production step | Salmonella in raw poultry, metal fragments, cleaning chemicals |
| 2. Critical Control Points | Determine where control is ESSENTIAL to prevent/eliminate hazards | Cooking (kills pathogens), metal detection, cooling |
| 3. Critical Limits | Set measurable limits for each CCP | ≥165°F for 15 seconds, pH ≤4.6, no metal >2mm |
| 4. Monitoring | Establish procedures to measure CCP control | Check temp every batch, test detector hourly |
| 5. Corrective Actions | Define what to do when CCP out of control | Continue cooking, quarantine product, destroy |
| 6. Verification | Confirm system works | Calibrate equipment, review records, test products |
| 7. Record-Keeping | Document everything | Monitoring logs, corrective actions, verifications |
How Do You Apply Each HACCP Principle?
Hazard Analysis: Identify biological (bacteria, viruses), chemical (pesticides, allergens), and physical (glass, metal) hazards at each step. Create process flow diagram, list hazards, evaluate severity, determine controls needed.
Critical Control Points (CCPs): Not every hazard needs a CCP—only where control is essential. Common CCPs: cooking (165°F for poultry), cooling (135°F to 41°F within 6 hours), metal detection, pasteurization, pH control.
Critical Limits: Must be measurable and specific. Never use vague terms like “cook thoroughly.” Use exact numbers: temperatures, times, pH values, particle sizes.
Monitoring: Answer what, how, how often, who. Use calibrated equipment. Monitor frequently enough to catch problems before producing significant unsafe food. Facilities can verify supervisor presence during critical control point monitoring with GPS-verified time tracking—proving qualified personnel were on-site when CCPs were checked.
Corrective Actions: When CCP out of control: (1) Stop and fix process, (2) Handle affected product (hold/reprocess/destroy), (3) Find root cause, (4) Document everything.
Verification: Validate that limits work (scientific evidence), calibrate equipment regularly, review records, conduct testing, get third-party audits.
Record-Keeping: Document HACCP plan (hazard analysis, CCPs, limits, procedures) and daily operations (monitoring logs, corrective actions). Retain minimum 1–2 years depending on product shelf life.
Who Is Required to Have HACCP?
Mandatory:
- Meat and poultry processors (USDA, 1996)
- Seafood processors (FDA, 1997)
- Juice manufacturers (FDA, 2001)
Voluntary but often required:
- Food manufacturers supplying major retailers
- Exporters to countries requiring HACCP
- Facilities seeking SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000, or other GFSI certifications
- Companies implementing FSMA preventive controls
Don’t need HACCP:
- Restaurants (follow state/local food codes)
- Farms (may need FSMA Produce Safety Rule)
- Very small facilities with FSMA exemptions
How Is HACCP Different From FSMA?
| Aspect | HACCP | FSMA Preventive Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | CCPs only | CCPs + allergen + sanitation + supply chain |
| Allergen control | Not required | Mandatory |
| Sanitation | Prerequisite | Part of food safety plan |
| Recall plan | Not required | Required |
| Training | HACCP-trained team | PCQI certification |
| Reanalysis | As needed | Every 3 years minimum |
If you have HACCP, you’re 80% of the way to FSMA compliance. Add allergen controls, sanitation controls, supply-chain program, and get PCQI training.
How Do You Implement a HACCP Plan?
1. Assemble team and describe product
- Form team with product/process knowledge (production, QA, maintenance, floor workers)
- At least one person with HACCP training (2-day course, $500–$1,500)
- Document product: ingredients, processing, packaging, storage, shelf life, intended consumer
2. Build flow diagram and apply 7 principles
- Map every step from receiving through distribution
- Verify accuracy by walking facility during production
- Conduct hazard analysis, determine CCPs, set limits
- Establish monitoring, corrective actions, verification, records
3. Train, implement, maintain
- Train workers on CCP responsibilities
- Run trial period, adjust as needed
- Monitor CCPs daily, review records weekly
- Calibrate equipment per schedule
- Update plan after changes, full review annually
The Bottom Line
HACCP prevents food safety hazards through 7 principles: hazard analysis, critical control points, measurable limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and documentation. Mandatory for meat/poultry/seafood processors; voluntary but often required by retailers and FSMA preventive controls.
Verify HACCP Monitoring With Location Proof
HACCP auditors need evidence that trained supervisors were physically present during critical control point monitoring. GPS-verified time tracking provides location-stamped proof that qualified personnel were on-site during CCP checks—turning “supervisor monitored cooking temperature” from a claim into documented fact for USDA and FDA inspections.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration – HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – HACCP Systems Validation
Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HACCP?
HACCP is systematic approach to food safety that identifies and controls hazards at critical points in production. Focuses on prevention, not inspection.
What are the 7 principles of HACCP?
(1) Hazard analysis, (2) Critical control points, (3) Critical limits, (4) Monitoring, (5) Corrective actions, (6) Verification, (7) Record-keeping.
Who needs HACCP?
Mandatory for meat/poultry (USDA), seafood (FDA), and juice (FDA) processors. Often required by customers, retailers, or FSMA preventive controls.
What is a Critical Control Point (CCP)?
A step where control is essential to prevent/eliminate a food safety hazard. Examples: cooking, cooling, metal detection, pasteurization.
What’s the difference between HACCP and FSMA?
HACCP focuses on CCPs. FSMA builds on HACCP but adds allergen controls, sanitation controls, supply-chain programs, recall plans, and PCQI training.
How much does HACCP cost?
Training: $500–$1,500 for 2-day course. Facility certification: $2,000–$10,000+ depending on size. Implementation costs vary based on needed equipment and system improvements.
