9 min readPathway sheetVery often a 10-mark answer

HACCP: the 7 principles and the 12 steps

HACCP is a preventive system that finds hazards and controls them at critical points. It has 7 principles, applied through 12 steps.

Full formHazard Analysis and Critical Control Point

OriginPillsbury, NASA and US Army Natick Laboratories, 1960s (food for astronauts)

Structure5 preliminary steps + 7 principles = 12 steps

Must be in place firstPrerequisite programmes (GMP, GHP)

What HACCP is

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is a science-based, preventive system that identifies, evaluates and controls hazards that are significant for food safety. Instead of relying on testing the finished food, it controls the process at the points where control is essential. It was developed in the 1960s by the Pillsbury Company with NASA and the US Army Natick Laboratories to make safe food for astronauts, and was presented to the public in 1971. Codex includes HACCP in its General Principles of Food Hygiene, and it is now used worldwide. In India, every licensed food business must have a documented food safety management system (FSMS) plan, built on GMP, GHP and HACCP principles.

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Hazard	A biological, chemical or physical agent with the potential to cause harm
Hazard analysis	Collecting and judging information on hazards to decide which are significant
Control measure	Any action that prevents, removes or reduces a hazard to an acceptable level, e.g. cooking or chilling
Critical control point (CCP)	A step where control is essential to prevent, remove or reduce a significant hazard
Critical limit	The value that separates acceptable from unacceptable, e.g. milk heated to at least 72 °C for 15 s
Monitoring	Planned observations or measurements to check that a CCP is under control
Corrective action	Action taken when monitoring shows that a CCP has gone out of control
Validation	Getting evidence that the control measures, if done properly, will really control the hazard
Verification	Checks other than monitoring (audits, calibration, lab tests, record review) that the plan is working
Prerequisite programmes (PRPs)	GMP and GHP (cleaning, hygiene, pest control, safe water) that must be in place before HACCP

The 7 principles of HACCP (Codex)

Learn them in order. Each principle builds on the one before it.

1★
Conduct a hazard analysis and identify control measures.
List biological, chemical and physical hazards at each step
2★
Determine the critical control points (CCPs).
Use the CCP decision tree
3
Establish validated critical limits for each CCP.
e.g. at least 72 °C for 15 s for HTST milk
4
Establish a system to monitor control of each CCP.
What, how, how often and by whom
5
Establish corrective actions for when monitoring shows a deviation.
Fix the process and deal with the affected food
6
Validate the HACCP plan, then establish verification procedures to confirm it works.
Audits, calibration, lab tests, record review
7
Establish documentation and record keeping.
If it is not recorded, it was not done

★ one-way, controls the pace

The 12 steps for applying HACCP

Steps 1-5 are **preliminary steps** that prepare the ground. Steps 6-12 apply the 7 principles.

1
Assemble the HACCP team and identify the scope.
Production, QC, engineering and hygiene staff; an outside expert if needed
2
Describe the product.
Ingredients, composition, pH, water activity, processing, packaging, storage, shelf life
3
Identify the intended use and users.
e.g. infants, the elderly, hospital patients
4
Construct a flow diagram.
Every step from receiving to dispatch
5
Confirm the flow diagram on site.
Walk the line while it is running
6★
List all hazards, conduct a hazard analysis and consider control measures.
Principle 1
7★
Determine the CCPs.
Principle 2
8
Establish validated critical limits for each CCP.
Principle 3
9
Establish a monitoring system for each CCP.
Principle 4
10
Establish corrective actions.
Principle 5
11
Validate the HACCP plan and establish verification procedures.
Principle 6
12
Establish documentation and record keeping.
Principle 7

★ one-way, controls the pace

Applications and advantages of HACCP in the food industry

Dairy: antibiotic checks on raw milk; pasteurisation time and temperature; cold storage.
Meat, poultry and fish: chilling and cooking temperatures; histamine control in tuna and mackerel.
Canning: the heat process for low-acid foods, to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores.
Bakery and snacks: baking and frying temperatures; metal detection before packing.
Catering, hospital and flight kitchens: cooking, cooling, hot and cold holding, reheating.
Advantages: prevents rather than detects; focuses on real hazards; less end-product testing; meets legal and export needs; records prove due care; builds staff responsibility.
Limitations: needs trained staff, working PRPs and paperwork; each plan fits one product and line, and must be reviewed whenever anything changes.

In kitchens and food businesses

A hospital kitchen feeding patients with weak immunity treats cooking, cooling, hot holding and reheating as CCPs: for example, chicken curry cooked to a core temperature of at least 75 °C (a widely used limit), checked with a probe thermometer and written in a log.

Exam angle

2 marks: “Expand HACCP and define a CCP.” Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. A CCP is a step where control is essential to prevent, remove or reduce a significant food safety hazard to an acceptable level.

5 marks: “List and explain the seven principles of HACCP.” Hazard analysis; determine CCPs; critical limits; monitoring; corrective action; validation and verification; documentation and records. One line each, with a milk example.

10 marks: “Explain the principles of HACCP and the steps in applying it in a food industry.” Define, with its history; key terms; the 12 steps (5 preliminary + 7 principles) as a flow chart; applications in dairy, meat, canning, bakery and catering; advantages and limitations; close.

Remember it

7 principles: 'Harry Can Catch Monkeys Carefully, Very Rarely': Hazard analysis, CCPs, Critical limits, Monitoring, Corrective action, Verification, Records. Preliminary steps: Team, Describe, Use, Flow diagram, Confirm on site.