What are the 7 principles of HACCP?

If you run a food business, you might be wondering, what are the 7 principles of HACCP. HACCP is a well-known system for keeping food safe. It stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. Simply put, it uses seven important rules, called principles, to spot and control risks in food. Following these rules helps make sure the food you serve is safe for everyone.

Food safety is not just a legal requirement—it can also protect your customers and your reputation. In the UK, about 2.4 million people get sick from food each year, and many of them need to see a doctor or even go to the hospital. That’s why having a solid system in place is so important for every food business.

In this article, we’ll break down the seven HACCP principles in simple terms. You’ll learn why each one matters and how to use them in your workplace to keep food safe every day. By the end, you’ll see how HACCP can help your business stay safe, compliant, and trusted by your customers.

What Is HACCP?

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. It’s a system that helps keep food safe for everyone. In simple words, it shows food businesses how to find risks in food and stop problems before they happen. You can think of HACCP like a safety guide for your kitchen. It protects your customers and your business at the same time. Following HACCP also helps you follow food hygiene laws and build trust with people who eat your food.

The best part is that HACCP focuses on prevention, not fixing mistakes. By spotting risks early, you can stop food safety problems before they affect anyone. It’s a smart way to care for your customers and your team. HACCP is a system built around seven important principles. These principles help food businesses keep food safe at every step. 

They are:

1. Conduct a hazard analysis
2. Determine the critical control points (CCPs)
3. Establish critical limits
4. Monitor the CCPs
5. Establish corrective actions if a CCP is out of control
6. Establish verification procedures
7. Keep accurate documentation and records of each stage

Food safety is very important for every food business. HACCP helps prevent problems at every step of food production, making sure the food you serve is safe.

Why Are the HACCP Principles Important?

Running a food business means following safe food hygiene rules. This is not just a good idea—it’s the law. One of the main laws is the Food Safety Act 1990.

The law focuses on keeping food safe and meeting proper standards. Under it, you cannot:

• Food that is dangerous to health must not be produced
• Any food that fails to meet safety rules is not allowed
• Food must meet customer expectations for quality and type

Another key rule is Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, which is still part of UK law. It requires food businesses to have a HACCP system in place and use it at all times.

Implementing HACCP brings more than legal compliance. It can help your business:

• Avoid expensive product recalls
• Protect its reputation
• Build customer confidence
• Reduce contamination risks
• Keep clear records for traceability

Setting up the system is usually the owner’s responsibility, but everyone on the team plays a part. Poor food handling or storage can lead to fines, lost customers, or serious health problems.

Ultimately, HACCP is about looking after your customers and your business. Knowing your food is safe gives peace of mind to both staff and diners.

Food Safety Hazards

To create a strong HACCP system, it’s important to understand food safety hazards. Without knowing them, it is hard to control risks and keep food safe. Food hazards can be divided into four main types:

Physical hazards – These are things that shouldn’t be in food. For example, jewellery, hair, feathers, stones, or small pieces of metal. Contamination can happen in many ways, such as from staff handling food, faulty packaging, machinery, or pests. Even a small object can harm a customer or hurt your business, so it’s important to manage these hazards carefully.

Chemical hazards – Chemicals can get into food during production, storage, or preparation. For instance, leftover cleaning products, pesticides on vegetables, or misuse of food additives can make food unsafe. HACCP helps businesses identify where chemicals might contaminate food and prevent it before it happens.

Allergenic hazards – Some people are very sensitive to allergens, and even a tiny amount can cause serious reactions. Common allergens include nuts, dairy, eggs, gluten, and seafood. Therefore, businesses must have systems to prevent allergen cross-contamination, especially for foods labelled as allergen-free. Clear labelling, separate storage, and careful handling are all important.

Microbial hazards – Bacteria, viruses, and other microbes can cause food poisoning or spoilage. These can appear when food is handled incorrectly, not cooked properly, or stored at the wrong temperature. In addition, HACCP helps you find where microbes could grow and take steps to stop them, such as proper cooking, cooling, and cleaning.

Understanding these hazards is the first step to protecting your customers and your business. By doing this, you can reduce risks, follow the law and build trust with the people who eat your food. Safe food is not just a rule—it’s a way to show you care.

What Are the Seven Principles of HACCP?

Before we start, it’s important to know what the seven principles of HACCP are. These principles help food businesses find risks, stop problems, and keep food safe. Following them also helps customers trust your business and feel confident eating your food.

Principle 1: Conduct a Hazard Analysis

The first step is to find anything that could make food unsafe. This means checking every stage of food handling, including delivery, storage, preparation, cooking, and serving.

For example, raw ingredients might have bacteria or chemicals. Equipment like knives or mixers could contaminate food if they are not clean. Staff handling food without proper hygiene could also cause problems. Checking for hazards at each step helps prevent problems before they happen. This is not just about following rules; it is about keeping your customers healthy.

You should also think about what could go wrong in the future. A new ingredient or supplier could bring new risks. Writing down your findings helps your team know what to watch for. This first step is the foundation of HACCP. Without it, the other steps will not work properly. It shows your customers that you care about their safety and want to provide safe, good-quality food.

Principle 2: Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs)

The next step is to find the points in food handling where control is very important to keep food safe. These points are called Critical Control Points, or CCPs.

Examples of CCPs include:

• Cooking meat to the correct temperature to kill harmful bacteria
• Cooling or chilling food properly to stop bacteria from growing
• Checking that equipment is clean and safe to use
• Storing food in the right place at the right temperature

Knowing your CCPs helps you focus on the steps that matter most. If something goes wrong at a CCP, you can take action immediately. For example:

• If a cooked dish is undercooked, it can be fixed before serving
• If a fridge is too warm, food can be moved or the temperature adjusted

CCPs are not just about following rules. They help you:

• Protect your customers
• Serve safe, high-quality food every time
• Show that your business cares about safety

In addition, CCPs help your team work better. Everyone knows which steps are critical and what to watch for. Documenting CCPs is also useful because it:

• Shows inspectors and staff that you take food safety seriously
• Makes it easier to review your system and improve it over time

Principle 3: Establish Critical Limits

After you know the Critical Control Points (CCPs), the next step is to set safe limits. These limits tell you what is safe and what could make food unsafe. For example, cooking food to the right temperature, cooling it at the correct time or storing it at the proper temperature are all critical limits.

Having clear limits helps you know when something is wrong. If food is not cooked enough or stored incorrectly, you can fix it before anyone gets sick. This step protects your customers and your business. Setting limits also makes it easier for your team to follow the rules. Everyone knows exactly what is safe and what is not. This reduces mistakes and keeps food safe.

Finally, it is important to write down these limits. This shows that your business cares about food safety. It also helps you check your system and make improvements over time. By setting critical limits, you not only follow the law but also show you care about your customers and team.

Principle 4: Monitor Critical Control Points

The next step is to check that your controls are working. This is called monitoring. It means watching the Critical Control Points (CCPs) to make sure food is safe.

Examples of monitoring include:

• Checking the temperature of cooked meat
• Measuring how long food has been cooling
• Making sure the fridge is at the right temperature
• Watching food during storage or preparation to prevent problems

Monitoring helps you find problems early, before anyone gets sick. It also shows that you care about food safety. Your team knows what to do and when to do it. If something goes wrong, you can fix it straight away. This keeps food safe and protects your business. Monitoring CCPs may seem small, but it makes a big difference. It helps keep your customers safe and happy every time they eat your food.

Principle 5: Establish Corrective Actions

Sometimes things go wrong even if you check carefully. Corrective actions tell you what to do when a problem happens.

For example:

• Cook food longer if it is not hot enough
• Fix the fridge if it is too warm
• Throw away unsafe food

Corrective actions help keep food safe for customers. They also show that you care about their safety. They also make it easy for your team to know what to do when a problem happens. Writing down these actions is important. It shows you take food safety seriously and helps improve your system over time. Using corrective actions can stop small problems from becoming big ones and protect your customers and business. 

Principle 6: Establish Verification Procedures

After setting up your HACCP system, you need to make sure it works correctly. This step is called verification. It helps check that all your safety steps and actions are working as planned. You can verify your system by looking at records, checking that equipment works properly, and testing food to make sure it is safe. Doing this helps you find mistakes early before they cause problems.

Verification also shows that you care about food safety. It helps your team feel confident because they know the system works and they are doing the right things.

Keeping a record of verification checks is very important. It proves that your business is serious about food safety. It also helps you improve the system over time. Even though it is a small step, verification keeps food safe and protects your customers and business.

Principle 7: Establish Documentation and Records

The last step in HACCP is to keep good records. This means writing down everything you do to keep food safe. For example, you can record cooking temperatures, cooling times, storage checks, and any corrective actions. These records help you see what works and where you can improve.

Keeping records shows that your business follows the rules and takes food safety seriously. In addition, it proves that you are taking the right steps and protecting your customers. Good documentation also makes it easier for your team. Everyone knows what to do, and it helps new staff follow the system correctly. Moreover, it keeps your business organised and ensures nothing is forgotten.

Finally, proper records protect your business. If an inspector checks your system, you can show proof that you are careful and responsible. By doing this, you give your customers confidence that your food is safe. Even though it may seem like a small step, keeping good records makes a big difference for food safety and customer trust.

How to Implement the 7 Principles of HACCP?

Following the 7 principles of HACCP can seem hard at first. But with clear steps, it becomes simple. The key is to make sure everyone in your team knows what to do and why it is important.

Prerequisite Programmes
Before starting HACCP, you need basic food safety steps. For example:

• Keep the kitchen clean
• Store food correctly
• Maintain equipment properly

These basic steps help prevent problems and make HACCP easier to follow.

Staff Training and Responsibilities
Staff are very important for HACCP. Everyone must know the rules and understand why food safety matters. You should also assign responsibilities clearly. For example, one person can check cooking temperatures, and another can check storage. Training helps the team feel confident and responsible.

Reviewing and Updating the HACCP Plan
A HACCP plan is not finished once it is made. You need to check it often and update it if anything changes. For example, if you have a new ingredient, supplier or piece of equipment, you should update your plan. Regular checks help catch problems early and improve your system over time.

Following these steps keeps your customers safe. It also builds trust and shows that you care about the food you serve every day.

Final Thought

Understanding what are the 7 principles of HACCP is key to keeping food safe and building trust with your customers. By following these steps, your business not only stays compliant but also shows care for everyone who enjoys your food. For more simple and practical food safety tips, check out our blog and keep your kitchen safe every day!  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the 7 principles of HACCP in order?

• The 7 principles of HACCP, in order, are: 1. Find food safety risks. 2. Decide where you can control them.3. Set safe limits. 4. Check these limits often.5. Fix problems quickly.6. Make sure the system works.7. Keep clear records.

2. What is HACCP in simple terms?

• HACCP means Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. It is a simple system that helps keep food safe. It shows food businesses how to spot risks and control them.

3. What are the 7 principles of HACCP PowerPoint?

• The 7 principles of HACCP are simple food safety steps. They include finding risks, controlling key steps, setting limits, checking them, fixing problems, making sure rules work, and keeping records.

4. What are the four food safety procedures?

• The four food safety procedures are easy to follow. Clean hands and surfaces. Separate raw and cooked food. Cook food fully. Chill food quickly and keep it cold.

5. What are the 5 C’s of food safety?

• The 5 C’s of food safety are simple rules to keep food safe. They are Cleaning, Cooking, Chilling, preventing cross-contamination, and Communication.  All five work together to reduce food safety risks.