HACCP
Food hygiene legislation requires food businesses to have a food safety management system such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) or a system based on HACCP principles.
The main principle of HACCP is to try to identify a potential problem or hazard that may occur at any stage before it happens and so guarantee the quality of the food.
The 7 principles of HACCP
- Identify the hazards associated with the food business, e.g. a hazard could be a chemical contaminant.
- Identify points where hazards may occur – the hazard may occur if the food is left out when cleaning - and how this can be controlled.
- Establish limits to allow these hazards to be controlled at each critical point.
- Establish monitoring procedures to measure the limits set for each point identified at step 2.
- Determine what corrective action would be required if the control of a hazard was unsuccessful.
- Establish recording procedures commensurate with the nature and extent of the food business.
- Establish verification and review procedures.
Further information
For further HACCP information, the FSAI have the following resources:
