Step 1: Establish the HACCP Team
Team members must be trained and have sufficient understanding of issues related to developing and implementing the HACCP program.
Step 2: Describe in detail the products involved
Provide a full description of important details of the product(s) under study, including any intermediate products involved in the production process that are relevant to food safety and quality.
Step 3: Determine the intended use based on
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The method of product use
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The method of product distribution
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Storage conditions and shelf life
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Labeling requirements
Step 4: Develop the process flow diagram
The process flow diagram and layout of equipment must be established by the HACCP team and include all steps in the production process. This is a critical step for building the HACCP plan.
Step 5: Verify the process flow diagram
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The HACCP team must verify that the process flow diagram accurately represents the actual operation process.
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Verify the diagram for daytime, nighttime, and holiday operations.
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Update the diagram accurately if there are any changes compared to the original diagram.
Step 6: Identify hazards and preventive measures
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Identify all possible hazards that may occur.
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Conduct hazard analysis to determine preventive control measures.
Step 7: Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs)
The most common method is using a decision tree to identify CCPs.
Step 8: Establish critical limits for each CCP
Critical limits are predetermined values for safety measures to eliminate or control a hazard at a CCP throughout the operation.
Each CCP may have multiple critical limits. To establish these, reference must be made to national hygiene and safety regulations, international standards, recommendations from FAO, WHO, scientific data, technical documents, process parameters, and experimental data.
To ensure control parameters do not exceed critical limits, safety margins must be set to prevent violations.
In practice, the concept of “operating limits” refers to the values at which the operator must promptly adjust equipment or processes to ensure values do not exceed the critical limits. Operating limits always have a higher safety factor than critical limits and lie within the safe zone of the critical limits.
Step 9: Establish monitoring systems for each CCP
Monitoring involves measuring or observing CCP parameters on a schedule to compare them with critical limits.
The monitoring system describes management methods to ensure CCPs are controlled and provides records of process status for later verification.
Monitoring must provide accurate information for timely correction to ensure process control and prevent violations of critical limits.
Step 10: Establish corrective actions
Corrective actions must be established for each CCP within the HACCP system to handle deviations when they occur and bring the process back under control.
Step 11: Establish verification procedures
Verification procedures include:
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Reviewing HACCP studies and documentation
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Reassessing deviations and product defects
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Observing whether CCPs remain controlled
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Confirming established critical limits
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Reevaluating the HACCP program and current and future product usage by consumers
Step 12: Establish documentation and record-keeping for HACCP
Documentation includes: hazard analysis, identification of CCPs, and critical limits.
Records include: CCP monitoring records, records of deviations and corrective actions taken, and verification activities.
Effective and accurate record keeping plays a vital role in implementing the HACCP system. HACCP procedures must be documented in writing. The documentation and record-keeping system should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the operation.
