Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)

At the end of the lesson, the students would be able to;

Objectives: .
1. Define HACCP and discuss how HACCP is important to food safety
2. Explain the 7 principles of HACCP
3. Develop a HACCP plan for a recipe

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) “is a systematic

approach to the identification, evaluation and control of food safety
hazards.” Proper implementation of the HACCP systems provides
the framework to produce foods safely and to prove they were
produce safely.
HACCP Systems:
 Specifically focus on food safety, not all attributes constituting
food quality.
 Are applicable to all phases of food production
 Focus on prevention and control of potential food safety hazards
rather than inspection and
 Emphasize the use of science and technology to ensure the production of safe food.

Origin of HACCP
Food safety management systems,
including HACCP, have evolved from
total quality management systems
developed by W.E.Deming in the
1950s. Deming emphasized a systems
approach to manufacturing which
managed all aspects of product quality.
HACCP food safety systems also trace
their origins to work by the Pillsbury
Company, United States Army, and the
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) on food safety for
manned space flights in the 1960s.
Given the critical importance of food safety for the astronauts, a “zero defects” program was
developed for space foods which emphasized process control as opposed to end-product
testing. This emphasis on process control is a defining characteristic of modern HACCP
systems.
HACCP was officially adopted as a recommended approach for food safety management by
the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1993. The document “Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Point (HACCP) System and Guidelines for its Application” was included as Annex A to
the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene in 1997.
Prerequisite Programs and HACCP

Before a HACCP system can be implemented,

the company must be operating in accordance
with good hygiene and good manufacturing
practices.These prerequisite programs (PRPs),
which are discussed elsewhere in this
curriculum, provide the strong foundation which
is necessary to ensure the food facility is
capable of producing safe food. These PRPs
must be in place before effective HACCP
programs can be implemented.
The importance of effective PRPs cannot be
overstated, as they are the foundation of the
HACCP plan. Inadequate PRPs may lead to additional critical control points that would have
to be identified, monitored and maintained under the HACCP plan.
HACCP Plans
As stated previously, HACCP is “a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation, and
control of food safety hazards.” Key to the effective implementation is the written HACCP
Plan, which is a document prepared in accordance with the principles of HACCP to ensure
control of hazards that are significant for food safety in the segment of the food chain under
consideration.
Design and implementation of effective HACCP systems requires systematic planning and
execution. The preliminary steps necessary before implementing a HACCP plan include the
following:
1. Assemble the HACCP Team
2. Describe the Food and its Distribution
3. Describe the Intended Use and Consumers of the Food
4. Develop a Flow Diagram Which Describes the Process
5. Verify the Flow Diagram
These steps must be completed prior to beginning work on HACCP Principle 1.
Tips for Writing Your HACCP Plan
To write your HACCP plan, keep descriptions accurate but short. Use straightforward, no-frills
language. Your plan should be easy to understand and follow. After your first draft is
complete, review it and remove any information that’s not essential.
1. Write Your Product Description
Every team’s first task is to write a product description.The description should be general and
include;
 The food
 Ingredients
 Processing methods
 Packaging
 Storage
 Distribution procedures (frozen, refrigerated, ambient temperature, etc.)
 Example of the label and labeling information
2. Develop Your Commodity Flow Chart
The second step of your template requires you to identify the scope and the process or
commodity flow.
Here, the HACCP team uses the product description, intended use, and primary market to
develop a complete description of the production process from start to end. Below is an
example of a process flow chart.

The commodity flow diagram, or flowchart, simplifies the process steps. It doesn’t need to
include fine details at this point in the diagram — that comes later.
However, there are some common oversights. Make sure that your list of process steps also
includes: Any inputs , intended delays, procedures that vary by shift , return of product to the
process, any and all outputs from the product.
3. Verify the Flow Chart
The next step is to verify the flow diagram that you just created. Your team needs to give it
more than a once over: you should visit the site where the system takes place and walk
through each step on the chart as you would during the production process (i.e., walk the
line).
Your verification step ensures that the flow chart includes all practices and materials in the
process so that you can identify every single relevant control point in the following step.
If the process changes across shifts or seasons, then your HACCP team should visit during
each version of the process at a minimum. Multiple visits help to create more complete flow
diagrams.
Remember: if your commodity flow diagram is incorrect, then your HACCP plan will be
ineffective. Take the time to verify and get it right the first time.
Seven Principkes of the HACCP System
In order to enhance food safety, every stage of the food production (from purchasing,
receiving, transportation, storage, preparation, handling, cooking to serving) should be carried
out and monitored scrupulously.
HACCP 1. Conduct a Hazard Analysis
The first step in any Food Safety Plan (or
HACCP Plan) is to identify all possible food
safety hazards that could occur in your
business. First, consider your processes.
These might include:
 receiving goods
 cooking food
 serving food
 waste disposal
Next, consider the food safety hazards that
could occur during each of these processes.
A food safety hazard is anything that
causes food to become contaminated (and therefore harmful or unsafe). There are three
types of food contamination:
1. biological contamination (e.g. bacteria, viruses)
2. physical contamination (e.g. pieces of broken glass, metal staples)
3. chemical contamination (e.g. detergent, sanitizer)
Once you have identified all the potential hazards in your business, categorize them as
biological, physical or chemical.
Example: Raw chicken breast is often prepped, grilled, and served in the same day. The
potential danger with chicken is that bacteria may be present in the finished product if it is not
cooked correctly. Bacteria are a potential biological hazard.
HACCP 2. Identify Critical Control Point
A critical control point is a point, a step or a procedure in a food manufacture process at which
control can be applied and, as a result, a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated, or
reduced to an acceptable level. CCP’s are usually practices/procedures which, when not done
correctly, are the leading causes of foodborne illness outbreaks. Examples of critical control
points include: cooking, cooling, re-heating, holding. More detailed examples of common
CCPs according to the International HACCP Alliance include: chilling when appropriate,
cooking that must occur for a specific time and temperature in order to destroy microbiological
pathogens,product formulation controls, such as the addition of culture or adjustment of pH or
water, certain processing procedures, such as filling and sealing cans.
A tool to help determining whether a process is a CCP is the CCP Decision Tree:

A decision tree asks a series of questions which are designed to guide you through the
Example: Cooking raw chicken breast is the only step where bacteria can be eliminated or
reduced to a level safe for consumption. Therefore, cooking raw chicken can be identified as
a CCP.process of determining CCPs.
HACCP 3: Establishing Critical Limits for a CCP
After identifying the CCPs in your process, you
need to define the critical limits that have to be
met at this step to ensure that a hazard is
prevented, eliminated or reduced to an
acceptable level.Each CCP should have at least
one critical limit. Critical limits must be something
that can be monitored by measurement or
observation.
Examples of critical control points and critical
limits that could apply:

CCP’s Critical Limit

Cooking Time and temperature
Cooling Time and temperature
Sifting Mesh size
Chlorination Concentration, volume

Example: In order to kill bacteria, raw chicken breast needs to be cooked to an internal
temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. This minimum of 165 degrees
Fahrenheit for 15 seconds is the critical limit, and this critical limit can be met by cooking the
chicken breast on the grill for the appropriate amount of time.
HCCP 4: Establish monitoring procedures for CCP
After establishing the critical limit, you need to provide employees with a way to check that
each limit has been met. Putting monitoring procedures in place is the most effective way to
identify where, when, and with whom something may have gone wrong.
Monitoring is a planned sequence of observations or measurements used to assess whether
a CCP is under control. These observations will be necessary to produce an accurate record
and for future use in verification.
Example: The best way to monitor the chicken is to use a cleaned and sanitized probe
thermometer to record the temperature at the thickest part of the chicken breast. Each piece
of chicken cooked on the grill must meet the minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees
Fahrenheit for 15 seconds.
HACCP 5: Establish Corrective Action
If a critical limit isn't met during the process, it’s called a deviation. When a deviation occurs,
your staff needs to have the tools and knowledge to take corrective action and ensure the
contaminated food never reaches the end consumer.
Corrective actions are the actions that must be taken if a critical limit is exceeded at any step
of food production in a food business (e.g. delivery, storage, preparation).
Corrective actions may range, for example, from “continue cooking until the established
temperature is reached” to “throw out the product,” depending on the severity of the situation.
Another example of this is the ‘2 - 4 Hour Rule’. According to the rule, any food which remains
in the danger zone for more than 4 hours must be discarded. In this instance, discarding the
food is considered corrective action.
Example: If, after checking the chicken breast with the thermometer, it is found that the food is
not up to temperature even though it was cooked for the appropriate amount of time, then the
chicken must continue to cook until it has reached the critical limit of 165 degrees Fahrenheit
for 15 seconds. This additional cooking time should be recorded.
HCCP 6: Establish Verification Procedure
Verification is the application of methods, procedures, tests and other evaluations, in addition
to monitoring, to determine compliance with the HACCP plan.
Reevaluate and revise your HACCP plan periodically to ensure its effectiveness. It is during
this step that all of your records, documentation, monitoring charts, and analyses come into
play. They’ll help you determine whether or not your plan successfully prevents, reduces, or
removes food safety hazards.
Example: In this step, a manger might review temperature monitoring charts after each shift
change to ensure that the critical limit for the chicken breast was met every time it was
prepared. Looking at the documented temperatures over a period of time can also help your
staff identify trends and adapt their entire process to further prevent food safety hazards.
HACCP 7: Establish Documentation Record System
Keeping accurate records allows you to stay more organized and effectively respond to food
safety hazards. That’s why developing procedures for accurate record-keeping is the final
stage of implementing a HACCP plan. Take the time to put a system into place outlining who
documents what and how long records are kept on file.

Below are a few types of documentation to keep:

1. Temperature logs
2. Notes about when corrective action was taken
3. Information about the maintenance and service performed on equipment
4. Supplier information including shipping invoices and specification sheets
Example: The temperature monitoring charts, notes about corrective actions, and receiving
invoices for the chicken are kept for six months. Specification sheets for the grill and the
maintenance performed on it are kept for a year. In the event of any problems, this
information can be used to support and verify the HACCP plan.