So, what is HACCP?
Let’s start with the basics. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, and it's now an international standard for hospitality businesses that must be strictly followed. It’s essentially a structured approach to food safety management that focuses on identifying, assessing, and controlling potential hazards at various stages of the food production process. For example, rather than waiting for foodborne illnesses to emerge, this system is designed to prevent contamination at every stage, from sourcing raw ingredients to serving the final product.
HACCP asks businesses to consider the various risks their food might face (e.g. bacterial contamination, chemical exposure) and to create a plan for preventing, detecting, and correcting these issues before they can cause harm. If you adhere to HACCP and actively implement it across your brand, you demonstrate a commitment to safety and regulatory compliance, which ultimately builds trust with consumers and maintains your reputation.
How does it impact food safety?
Without HACCP, you can make your business really vulnerable to hazards and put customer safety at risk. Potential outbreaks of foodborne illnesses can damage your business’s reputation instantly, and also lead to costly legal repercussions. HACCP creates a structured approach to managing food safety risks, giving you and your customers peace of mind.
One key aspect of HACCP is its adaptability and scalability. Different types of food businesses, whether you’re operating from a small venue or a large-scale brand, can tailor HACCP to suit their specific needs.
What are the 7 HACCP principles?
The backbone of HACCP is built around 7 key principles, and these act as a guide to help you assess hazards and adopt a preventative approach to address them. We’ve compiled all of them into an easy to follow step-by-step guide, so you can get to grips with how to keep things consistent across your business.
1. Carry out hazard analysis
The first step is to identify any hazards that could compromise food safety. These could be biological, like bacteria or viruses, chemical, such as allergens or cleaning agents, or physical, like broken glass or equipment in preparation areas. By conducting a thorough investigation, you can pinpoint areas that need monitoring closely.
2. Identify the critical control points
Critical control points, or CCPs are the stages in your food production process where hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced; it's important to identify them so they can be monitored by staff . For example, if you’re cooking a piece of meat that needs to be at a certain temperature to be safe, a CCP is the point at which you determine whether or not the item has been cooked safely and is ready to be served to a customer.
3. Establish critical limits
At each CCP, it’s vital to define the acceptable range of operation. For example, you might establish that chicken must be cooked to at least 75°C to ensure harmful pathogens are destroyed.
4. Monitor CCPs
Once you’ve established your critical control points and limits, you need to regularly monitor and record them. This could mean keeping temperature logs or checking that cleaning procedures are carried out correctly. Ongoing monitoring ensures that you catch potential problems before they become serious.
5. Establish corrective actions
Even the best plans occasionally hit issues. That’s why it’s essential to have corrective actions in place. If a CCP goes out of control, such as a piece of equipment malfunctioning or breaking unexpectedly, your team should know exactly what steps to take to correct the issue and prevent unsafe food from reaching customers.
6. Check everything’s working
It’s not enough to just create a HACCP plan; you need to regularly verify that it’s working. This could include internal audits, tests, and reviews of your procedures to ensure they’re still effective and up-to-date with regulations.
7. Record and document
Documentation is essential to proving that your HACCP system is functioning correctly. Keeping detailed records of your monitoring, verification, and corrective actions will help demonstrate compliance in the event of an audit or inspection of a venue.
By understanding and implementing these principles, you can help to keep your business on the right side of food safety regulations, and start to manage HACCP effectively.
How to Create An Effective HACCP Plan
Once you know and understand these principles, you can create a robust HACCP plan to keep things consistent in your venue. Creating a structured plan may seem like a daunting task, but by breaking it down step-by-step, it becomes manageable and is key to avoiding problems later down the line. Whether you’re setting up a new plan or updating an existing one, following these steps will ensure you meet the necessary HACCP guidelines.
1. Get a team together
Put together a team of people from different departments of your business. Each team member should bring a unique perspective so you can cover all bases and identify all potential hazards across the food production operations.
2. Document and describe
Be sure to record detailed information about the product you’re making, including its ingredients, processing methods, and what the finished result looks like. Having a clear understanding of what a dish contains, and the equipment needed to make it, helps to identify and evaluate the potential risks.
3. Create a clear flow diagram
Creating an easy-to-follow flow diagram helps to outline every step in your production process clearly, from receiving raw materials to the final product reaching the consumer. Not only does this help you stay compliant, it also acts as a handy document for all staff to refer back to
4. Remember the principles
On each stage of your flow diagram, apply the seven HACCP principles outlined earlier. Identify CCPs, establish critical limits, and ensure monitoring and corrective actions are in place.
5. Document and implement
Once your plan is fully developed, document everything and start implementing it within your business. Staff training is essential here, as everyone involved in food production needs to understand and follow the HACCP plan.
How can Access CPL Learning help?
Providing staff with easily accessible and flexible training is key to delivering consistent learning across venues, and maintaining strict control over HACCP compliance. With our digital course, designed specifically for hospitality employees, your staff can enhance their skills and deepen their understanding of food safety and HACCP regulations, keeping everyone on the same page.
We understand that in hospitality, working hours can be unpredictable, making it difficult to fit training into busy schedules. That’s why it’s crucial to invest in a platform that offers flexibility. With CPL Learning, your team can access training anytime, anywhere, on any device. This allows them to learn at their own pace, without disrupting their workflow, ensuring consistent training and compliance across all your venues.
Stay HACCP compliant with expert training
In this article, we’ve covered the importance of HACCP in the food industry and why understanding its role in food safety is essential. From reducing contamination risks to ensuring legal compliance, having a robust system in place is key to protecting your customers and your business.
Whether you're developing your first HACCP plan, or refining an existing one, a clear grasp of the seven principles is crucial. If you’re feeling unsure about where to start, our HACCP training courses are designed to guide you through the process with ease.
At Access CPL Learning, our comprehensive training equips your team with the skills to develop, implement, and maintain an effective food safety management system. From understanding HACCP guidelines to applying them in practical settings, we’ve got you covered. For more information, get in touch with our friendly team today to take the next step.