Find out what hazard analysis and critical control points really are with a step-by-step guide to writing, drafting, and executing a HACCP plan complete with an example. Make your job easier by using a digital HACCP template instead of a tedious paper form.
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A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan is used to identify critical control points and potential hazards in the production, handling, and sales of perishable food items. These forms are used to implement a HACCP concept in companies that specialize in food production or food trade. This enables biological, chemical, and physical hazards in the storage, transport, use, preparation, and sale of perishable goods to be identified and controlled. Digital checklists help employees to monitor the processes more easily and fully implement the required documentation. The data from the food plan template not only uncovers deficiencies at an early stage but also proves consistent compliance with the industry regulations.
To remain compliant, you must keep records of your HACCP plan, their food production processes, and, above all, the monitoring of critical control points (CCPs) and corrective measures. Because each food and each processing method poses different risks, a specific plan is required for each food group and each processing system. It is important to have food safety management procedures appropriate to your business, so that you may manage and control food hazards. A hazard analysis is the international binding of quality management systems and food safety.
3. What are the 7 HACCP principles?
4. Steps to creating a HACCP checklist
5. What to include in a HACCP checklist
6. 6 Steps of implementing the HACCP principle
8. Crticial control points and the categories of food safety hazards
9. The top 4 advantages of a HACCP plan
10. Is a HACCP plan legally required?
11. A digital solution for HACCP checklists
The HACCP (= Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) Plan is a hazard analysis and evaluation of critical control points in the food sector. During the production and handling of food (for example in the catering sector or food production) clearly structured and strict controls and preventive measures are intended to guarantee the quality and safety of food. To do so, you must keep records of your HACCP plan, their food production processes, and, above all, the monitoring of critical control points (CCPs) and corrective measures.
A specific HACCP plan checklists are required for each food and for each processing system used by a food business because each food and each processing method poses different risks and requires different risk management practices. It is important to have food safety management procedures appropriate to your business, to manage and control food hazards. HACCP is the internationally binding quality management system for food that is suitable for this purpose.
HACCP certification is guaranteed by compliance with regulations. For this purpose, food production processes must be fully documented. An HACCP plan follows the following seven principles:
What are the dangers during the whole process' of food production ?
Determine the Critical Control Points on the basis of the analysis performed
Regarding the CCP's, you should define limits from which you should not deviate.
Create a monitoring system that helps you to manage the compliance with the limit values.
Determine what measures must be taken in case of non-compliance.
Document on the basis of your HACCP operational plan, the execution of the production steps. Checklists, diagrams and other control forms are particularly useful for this purpose.
The HACCP plan, which is itself a form of control, should be regularly checked by further (external) random sample tests or similar.
The obligation to establish HACCP procedures applies to everyone who processes food or places food on the market. In addition, food business operators must prove the HACCP plan by documentation. The responsibility for implementing a HACCP plan lies with the owner.
The following companies are obliged to use a HACCP plan:
The first step before one or more HACCP checklists are drawn up is always the preparation of a HACCP concept or plan. This provides the basis for the subsequent daily, weekly and monthly inspections. For the preparation of a HACCP template, the information from the following areas is of particular importance:
Most companies in the food industry have several HACCP forms in use. This is due to the fact that often different areas of the workplace have to be checked under different criteria. For example, different data has to be recorded for the cold chain than for kitchen cleaning - and usually by different people who are responsible for these areas.
How many HACCP checklists are in use, however, often also depends on the size of the company. The following example entails items a HACCP checklist for the catering trade should cover:
The correct storage and cooling of food are essential for ideal hygiene conditions in the company. For a HACCP template in this area, special attention should be paid to the critical points of temperature and storage conditions.
The kitchen is the biggest source of contamination in the catering industry due to a lack of hygiene. This HACCP template checks whether the cleaning standards are implemented and adhered to in order to prevent dangers to the customer.
In addition, there are numerous areas in the guest room that can lead to burning food if they are not well cared for. This HACCP template, therefore, deals with the state of cleaning objects in the guest room.
Clean toilets are not only part of good manners, they are also indispensable for ideal hygienic conditions. This HACCP template, therefore, checks the daily and weekly cleaning of the toilet areas, which includes washbasins, floors, etc.
Often this aspect takes a back seat to the HACCP concept. HACCP forms can only be filled out correctly and conscientiously if the employees know exactly what they have to pay attention to in food and personal hygiene. This HACCP template is therefore used to check whether each employee has received training and whether follow-up training has taken place.
Once you have prepared a complete list of prerequisites, you can start developing and implementing your HACCP plan. This form looks different in every company, so you will create product-specific plans that address your company's specific problems.
There are five tasks you must complete before a plan can be established:
A HACCP plan is usually based on an already existing hygiene concept and supplements this with detailed planning and control of the food production. The following aspects are subject to HACCP requirements for hygiene:
There are so many rules and regulations surrounding food and safety, it can be difficult to keep them all straight. But it’s imperative to your business that you’re in compliance with each and every one of those regulations to avoid costly fines and lawsuits. For that reason, you’ll want to write up a HACCP plan that meets the individual news of your business to ensure proper safety precautions are in place and being adhered to.
For the intents and purposes of this example, the product we’ll be analyzing is ground beef with a focus on the proper set of steps and procedures once it arrives at a restaurant for preparations and sale.
Below, is the sample restaurant HACCP plan and its steps to help you get started:
Names and positions of the participants
Manager: John Smith
Inspector: Rebecca Jones.
Describe the process
Describe the product and intended usage
The product is ground beef for the purpose of cooking and selling. The beef will be made into hamburger patties, grilled, and served to customers in the restaurant.
Add the critical control points to the following
Person in charge of monitoring
Rebecca Jones
How will you control the process at this step to assure that the process is under control?
Rebecca Jones will oversee each delivery of ground beef and will use a checklist to make sure each step is completed in full.
Frequency of monitoring
What equipment will be implemented?
Describe the methods you will follow if a crucial limit is exceeded. Add both the actions you will take to get the process back under control and how you will manage any product that might be unsafe.
Comments and Recomendations
In order to adhere to food industry safety regulations, I advise an additional employee be assigned to perform a secondary inspection at the end of each workday to ensure no expired meat product remains in the fridge. Installation of a second fridge for additional storage in case the first malfunctions is recommended.
Name and signature of the Inspector
Rebecca Smith
A critical control point is the step during the food production and preparation process where protective and preventive measures can be implemented to protect customers from consuming contaminated fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. An example of a critical control point would be storing perishable food such as meat at a temperature between 32°F and 40°F.
A critical control point just means any steps taken along the way to ensure food safety. In order to do this, it’s important to understand the four main categories of potential food hazards in order to make a critical control point list.
After you have learned what the HACCP plan is based on and how it is implemented, the question arises why the use of HACCP is particularly worthwhile. Learn more about the main advantages of the concept here:
The continued compliance with legal requirements for food hygiene is the most important prerequisite for a smooth operation without fines, criminal proceedings, or the like. Proactive implementation of documentation saves a lot of bureaucratic effort afterward.
It is not only by avoiding fines that costs are prevented. The correct storage and processing of food makes it last longer so waste can be avoided.
A HACCP certificate strengthens the confidence of partners and customers and helps you to remain competitive with businesses within the food industry..
Maintaining your customer’s basis for trust also promotes the acquisition of new customers.
The establishment of a HACCP process has been mandatory since 2006 according to EU regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 and also applies to small companies. In case of non-compliance you have to expect the following penalties:
A good record is one of the 7 HACCP principles required to obtain HACCP certification. Proper HACCP documentation helps managers and business owners to keep track of the food production and processing while allowing them to take corrective actions where they are needed. Digital HACCP forms make it easier to prove that the possible risk factors of food safety are considered in all production processes. This ensures that the end products are safe and ready for the market. You could also consider using Lumiform's haccp management software to ensure compliance and safety measures are met.
Digital HACCP applications such as Lumiform help to improve tedious workflows by replacing paper forms, spreadsheets, scanning, and faxing with a digital report - online or offline. The mobile technology is used to improve the following when filling out a free HACCP plan template:
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