HACCP, which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, is a systematic approach to food safety that is used to identify and control potential hazards in food production and preparation. The 12 steps of HACCP are as follows:
- Conduct a hazard analysis: Identify any biological, chemical, or physical hazards that are likely to occur at each step of the food production and preparation process.
- Determine the critical control points (CCPs): Identify the steps in the process where the hazards can be controlled or prevented.
- Establish critical limits for each CCP: Determine the limits for each CCP, such as temperature, pH, or time, that must be met in order to control or prevent the hazards.
- Establish a monitoring system for each CCP: Determine how and when the CCPs will be monitored, and who will be responsible for monitoring.
- Establish corrective actions: Identify the actions that will be taken if the critical limits are not met at a CCP.
- Implement verification procedures: Verify that the HACCP plan is working as intended and that the CCPs are being controlled effectively.
- Implement documentation and record-keeping: Keep records of all aspects of the HACCP plan, including hazard analysis, CCPs, critical limits, monitoring results, corrective actions, and verification procedures.
- Establish an effective management system: Develop a system for managing the HACCP plan, including training and communication procedures.
- Regularly review the HACCP plan: Periodically review and update the HACCP plan to ensure that it remains effective and relevant.
- Assign responsibility for HACCP: Assign specific responsibilities for implementing and maintaining the HACCP plan.
- Establish an evaluation of the performance of the HACCP system: Evaluate the performance of the HACCP plan to determine if it is working as intended and identify areas for improvement.
- Continual improvement: Continually improve the HACCP system to ensure that it remains effective and relevant.
It’s important to note that these steps should be adaptable to the specific industry, product, and scale of the business.
