How many principles are outlined in a HACCP plan?

A HACCP plan consists of seven principles that are fundamental in ensuring food safety. These principles provide a structured approach to identify, evaluate, and control food safety hazards throughout the food production process.

The seven principles are:

1. Conduct a hazard analysis to determine potential hazards that could affect food safety.

2. Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs) where hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels.

3. Establish critical limits for each CCP, which are specific criteria such as time and temperature that must be met to ensure food safety.

4. Establish monitoring procedures to regularly check that CCPs are under control.

5. Identify corrective actions to be taken when monitoring shows that a CCP is not in compliance with critical limits.

6. Establish verification procedures to confirm that the HACCP system is working effectively.

7. Implement record-keeping and documentation procedures to maintain comprehensive and accurate records of all aspects of the HACCP plan.

Having this clear framework helps food businesses systematically improve their processes and protect public health, making the seven principles essential to the effective application of HACCP.