12 Steps to Develop a HACCP Plan
A practical walkthrough of the five preliminary steps and the seven HACCP principles, from assembling your team to keeping the records an auditor will ask for.
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Everything your HACCP plan has to include
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is the internationally recognized system for identifying food safety hazards and controlling them before product reaches a customer. A compliant HACCP plan, run alongside an active food safety program, gives your customers, the public and regulators assurance that food safety is well managed.
This guide walks through the 12 steps to build that plan: five preliminary steps that describe your product and process, then the seven principles that turn hazards into controls. Download the guide to learn what your plan must include, which hazards must be prevented, eliminated or reduced, and how to keep the records that prove it. There is no one-size-fits-all plan, so the guide shows what to adapt to your own products and facility. Then see how Nulogy Quality & Compliance runs HACCP checks digitally across every site.
Working toward a GFSI certification as well? Read our guide to the changes in BRCGS Issue 9.
The guide, at a glance
Twelve steps to a HACCP plan that holds up
Five preliminary steps, then the seven principles of HACCP, in the order an auditor expects to see them.
Assemble a HACCP Team
Build a team from a wide range of disciplines, such as food microbiology, engineering, production, sanitation and quality assurance.
Describe Your Food Product
Describe the product, its ingredients, processing methods and distribution, including storage conditions like frozen or refrigerated, plus labeling information.
Identify the Intended Use
Describe the expected use of the product and who will consume it, from the general public to particular groups such as infants or the elderly.
Draw Up a Flow Diagram
Outline the steps in the process that are directly under your control. A simple block diagram is enough, and a schematic of the facility helps.
Confirm the Flow Diagram On Site
Observe each operation and record and fix any differences from the diagram. The hazard analysis and CCPs depend on the diagram being accurate.
Conduct a Hazard Analysis
Principle 1. Identify the biological, chemical and physical hazards at each step, then evaluate the risk and likelihood of each to decide which the plan must address.
Determine Critical Control Points
Principle 2. Find the steps where control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard, or reduce it to an acceptable level, and document them.
Establish Critical Limits
Principle 3. Set the measurable limit each CCP must meet to keep its hazard under control.
Monitor CCPs
Principle 4. Check that every critical limit is being met, with real-time data and issue management so any loss of control is caught immediately.
Establish Corrective Actions
Principle 5. When a limit is missed, correct the cause, decide what happens to non-compliant product, and record the actions taken.
Establish Verification Procedures
Principle 6. Verify the plan once it is complete, review it at regular intervals, and back it with a formal internal audit plan.
Establish Documentation and Record-Keeping
Principle 7. Keep the hazard analysis, the HACCP team and responsibilities, the verified flow diagram and a summary table covering every CCP.
HACCP Plan Guide FAQ
1What does the guide cover?
The 12 steps to develop a HACCP plan: five preliminary steps (assembling a HACCP team, describing your food product, identifying its intended use, drawing up a flow diagram and confirming it on site), then the seven HACCP principles, from hazard analysis to documentation and record-keeping, including what your HACCP records must contain.
2Who is this guide for?
Food safety and quality managers, HACCP coordinators and plant leaders at food and beverage manufacturers, processors and co-packers who are building a HACCP plan for the first time or reviewing an existing one.
3What are the seven principles of HACCP?
Conduct a hazard analysis, determine critical control points, establish critical limits, establish monitoring procedures, establish corrective actions, establish verification procedures, and establish record-keeping and documentation.
4What is a critical control point?
A step in your process where control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard, or reduce it to an acceptable level. Cooking, chilling and metal detection are common examples.
5Is HACCP required by law?
In many cases, yes. HACCP is mandatory for meat and poultry under USDA FSIS, for seafood and juice under FDA, and HACCP-based procedures are required across the EU and UK food sectors. Most other FDA-regulated food facilities follow FSMA’s Preventive Controls rules, which build on HACCP, and GFSI schemes such as BRCGS and SQF require a HACCP-based plan.
6How often should a HACCP plan be reviewed?
At regular intervals once the plan is in operation, and whenever your products, processes or requirements change. A HACCP plan is built for a specific product handled and processed in a specific way, so a formal internal audit plan helps keep it up to date.
7How does software help maintain a HACCP plan?
Paper CCP logs are where most HACCP plans break down: missed checks, illegible entries and records nobody can find at audit time. Nulogy Quality & Compliance puts CCP checks on a tablet with photos and timestamps, routes out-of-limit results to corrective action, and keeps the records ready for your next audit.
Continue Your Food Safety Research
Changes in BRCGS Issue 9
What changed in the latest BRCGS food safety standard, and what it means for your next audit.
Get the guide → Centro de recursosCentro de información sobre la FSMA 204
Rules, deadlines and resources for the FDA Food Traceability Rule.
Explora el centro → ProductoCalidad y cumplimiento normativo de Nulogy
Digital HACCP checks, audits and corrective actions for food and beverage plants.
Explore the product →Descubre cómo funciona Nulogy en materia de calidad y cumplimiento normativo
Talk to our team about moving your HACCP checks and records off paper.
- CCP checks on a tablet, with photos and timestamps
- Out-of-limit results routed to corrective action
- Audit-ready records across every site