The Principles of HACCP

The Principles of HACCP
The HACCP system consist of seven principles which outline how to establish, implement, and maintain a HACCP plan for the operation under study.

The HACCP Principles have international acceptance and details of this approach have been published by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.

Principle 1
Conduct a hazard analysis. Prepare list of steps in the process, identify where significant could occur and describe the control measures.

Principle 1 describes where the HACCP Team should start. A Process Flow Diagram is put together detailing all the steps in the process from incoming raw materials to finished product. When complete the HACCP team identifies all the hazards that could occur at each stage establish the risk to determine the significant hazards and describes measures for their control. These may be existing or new control measures.

Principle 2
Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs). When all the hazards and control measures have been described, the HACCP Team establishes the points here control is critical to assuring the safety of the product. These are the Critical Control Points of CCPs.

Principle 3
Establish Critical Limits for control measures associated with each identified CCP. The Critical Limits describe the difference between safe and unsafe product at the CCPs. They must involve a measurable parameter and may also be known as the absolute tolerance or safety limit for the CCP.

Principle 4
Establish a system to monitor control of the CCP. The HACCP Team should specify monitoring requirements for management of the CCP within its Critical Limits. This will involve specifying monitoring actions along with monitoring frequency and responsibility.

In addition, procedures will need to be established to adjust the process and maintain control according to the monitoring results.

Principle 5
Establish the corrective actions to be taken when monitoring indicates that a particular CCP is not under control. Corrective action procedures and responsibilities for their implementation need to be specified.

This will include action to bring the process back under control and action to deal with product manufactured while the process was out of control.

Principle 6
Establish procedures for verification to confirm that the HACCP System is working correctly. Verification procedures must be developed to maintain the HACCP System and ensure that it continues to work effectively.

Principle 7
Establish documentation concerning all procedures and records appropriate to these principle and their application. Records must be kept to demonstrate that the HACCP System is operating under control and that appropriate corrective action has been taken for any deviations from the Critical Limits.

This will provides evidence of safe product manufacture.
The Principles of HACCP