What is the first step in the preliminary task management process completed before implementing a Haccp plan?

12 steps for conducting a HACCP study

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What we would like you to do
Why HACCP plans are important
Types of food preservation
The seven steps of HACCP

The Codex Guidelines outline 12 steps for conducting a HACCP study and establishing a HACCP plan.

1. Assemble and train the HACCP team

The HACCP team must be proportionate to the size, risk and complexity of the business operation. The team must have the technical expertise and awareness of the potential hazards and control associated with the animal feed production.

2. Describe the products and processes

A detailed description of the process and final products will be provided.

3. Identify intended users

The intended users of the final product are stated.

4. Construct a flow diagram

A systematic representation of the sequence of steps involved in the production of the final product is constructed. Typically, this starts with the purchase of raw materials to the customer.

5. Validate the flow diagram

Validating that the constructed flow diagram accurately reflects what happens during production

6. Conduct a hazard analysis (Principle 1)

Hazard analysis involves:

Identifying the hazards that may affect the process
Identifying the steps were hazards are likely to occur
Deciding which hazards are significant
Determining the measures necessary to control the hazards

7. Determine the critical control points (CCPs) (Principle 2)

These are the steps where control measures are necessary to prevent biological, chemical or physical hazards presenting a safety risk to animals or consumers.

8. Establish critical limits for each CCP (Principle 3)

Critical limits are the values which are set for control measures to ensure the feed is safe. Critical limits should be unambiguous and measurable. If a critical limit is breached the feed should be rejected. To avoid waste and allow corrective action to be taken before the critical limit is breached, it is advisable to set a target level. If the target level is breached, corrective action can be taken to get it back within the target. Critical limits include time, temperature, size, weight and appearance/colour. Objective and measurable parameters are preferable.

9. Monitoring of control measures at each CCP (Principle 4)

Monitoring is necessary to confirm that the process is under control and critical limits are not exceeded. Monitoring systems should state:

What the critical limits and target levels are
How the monitoring should be undertaken
Where the monitoring should be taken
When the monitoring should be taken
When the monitoring should be undertaken
Who is responsible for monitoring

10. Establish corrective actions (Principle 5)

Corrective action is the action taken when a critical limit is exceeded. There are two parts to corrective action. Firstly, what to do with the affected product, and secondly, bringing the process back under control. Procedures for corrective action should outline:

the action to be taken and by who (e.g. how to deal with the product, product, stop production, issue a recall)
who should be notified
who can authorise the restart of production or sales

11. Establish verification procedures (Principle 6)

Verification involves the use of methods, procedures and tests, in addition to those used in monitoring to demonstrate that the decisions made in the development of the HACCP study are valid and effective. A number of methods can be used to verify the HACCP system:

Examining monitoring records, deviations and complaints
Auditing the HACCP system to ensure all hazards and CCPs have been identified and controls and monitoring remain effective is the most common verification technique

The HACCP plan should be reviewed periodically, when a change has occurred (e.g. new raw material, equipment, recipe or packaging) and when a complaint or illness has occurred.

12. Establish documentation and record-keeping (Principle 7)

Documentation helps to demonstrate compliance to the HACCP plan and to support a due-diligence defense if this is required in court.

Documentation to support the HACCP system may include:

Details of the HACCP team
The scope and terms of reference
The product and process description
The intended customers
A floor plan
The flow diagram
The prerequisite programmes
Hazard analysis and CCP determination
Critical limits, targets, deviations and corrective actions
Signed and dated monitoring records
Validation, verification and review procedures
Audit reports

What we would like you to do

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations put together examples of the application of HACCP to mycotoxin control.

Please review these examples here to see how the 12 steps of HACCP are implemented within a feed business.

Please share your thoughts on at least one of these examples:

Do you agree with the CCP’s identified?
Did the examples help you to understand how a HACCP study is implemented?

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is an internationally recognized system for reducing the risk of safety hazards in food. A HACCP system requires that potential biological, chemical or physical hazards are identified and controlled at specific points in the process. Any company involved in the manufacturing, processing or handling of food products can use HACCP to improve food safety. The HACCP Documents as per CODEX guideline is designed accurately so that it can be used very effectively for educating vendors, employees, management, and food safety groups for the establishment of a food safety management system.

Assemble the HACCP Team: The first step is assembling a team of individuals who have specific knowledge and expertise about the product and process. The multidisciplinary team should include individuals from departments such as:

Engineering

Describe the Product: First, the HACCP team provides a general description of the food, ingredients and processing methods. Then the method of distribution should be described along with information on whether the food is to be distributed frozen, refrigerated or at ambient temperature.
Identify the Intended Use and Consumers: Describe the normal expected use of the food. The intended consumers may be the general public or a particular segment of the population.
Construct Flow Diagram to Describe the Process: The flow diagram should provide a clear, simple outline of all the steps involved in the process that are directly under the control of the establishment.
On-Site Confirmation of Flow Diagram: The HACCP team should perform an on-site review of the operation to verify the accuracy and completeness of the flow diagram, and modifications should be made to the diagram as needed. After these first five preliminary tasks have been completed, the following seven principles of HACCP are applied.

Benefits of Implementing a HACCP Plan

Reduction in product loss
Increase in product quality
Better inventory control
Consistency in product preparation
Increase in profit

Have you ever thought about what happens when cucumbers are turned into pickles? Or what ingredients are added to cured meat to keep them safer for a longer amount of time?

Because these kinds of processing techniques need to be done correctly to prevent any foodborne illness, you must create a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point plan, or a HACCP plan, before using them at your establishment.

Depending on what kind of food preservation methods you use, your local regulatory authority, like your health department, will have different requirements. Check with them on what documentation and procedures you will need before you begin preserving food at your establishment.

After your HACCP plan has been approved, make sure to share it with your employees and teach them how to follow it.

Why HACCP plans are important

You may choose to preserve your own food at your facility for a variety of reasons, like if you prefer using your own house-made ingredients or if you want to sell food that you preserve on-site. Food manufacturing plants and suppliers should have HACCP plans and procedures already in place.

HACCP plans provide detailed instructions on how to properly preserve food. If not followed correctly, you could have a major foodborne illness outbreak. If you need help creating your plan, your health inspectors or other regulatory agency will be able to help you identify which steps could present hazards and how they should be controlled and monitored.

Types of food preservation

Usually, time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods are stored cold at 41°F (5°C) or below or stored hot at 135°F (57°C) or above. They also typically last about a week.

Food preservation uses processes and techniques to eliminate or greatly slow down spoilage and reduce microorganisms to a safe enough level that they won’t make your customers sick. Types of food preservation methods that require a HACCP plan or variance include:

Processing and pasteurizing juice
Using reduced oxygen packaging (ROP) procedures on site
Using food additives or ingredients, like vinegar, to preserve fruits or vegetables
Smoking food to preserve it
Curing meats or other food

In addition, if you plan to use bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, like when making sushi, you may be required to make a HACCP plan and obtain a variance from your local regulatory authority.

The seven steps of HACCP

Food preservation must be done correctly in order to prevent foodborne illness — just like creating a HACCP plan. There are seven steps you need to follow when creating a plan.

To help explain each step, we’ll use house-made pepperoni as an example. Imagine that you’re creating a HACCP plan because you want to cure your own pepperoni.

Perform a hazard analysis. This step will help you identify possible food hazards in your establishment. This could include the ingredients you use (meat and seasonings), equipment used (meat grinder), chemicals (cleaning chemicals that could come in contact with the meat), and staff (those who will be making the pepperoni).
Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs). In this step, you’ll determine which hazards identified in the first step can be controlled. For example, you could say that the meat will be cooked to a certain temperature to ensure it is safe to eat.
Set critical limits. As part of this step, you’ll set specific limits on the critical control points. For example, you might say you will cook the meat to 155°F (68°C). If you will be testing for bacteria, like Listeria, you should set limits for that as well.
Establish a monitoring system. The monitoring step ensures that the critical limits are being met. For example, if a critical limit for making pepperoni is cooking it to 155°F (68°C), then the monitoring system would be using a thermometer to check the temperature and recording it in a temperature log.
Establish corrective actions. Corrective actions are necessary when the critical limits are not met. For example, if the temperature requirement has not been met, you may need to cook it longer. In other cases, food may need to be discarded. Following the plan for corrective action is crucial in preventing foodborne illness.
Establish verification procedures. This step allows you to see how well your HACCP plan is working. Verification procedures can include watching employees perform actions, like taking temperatures and filling out a temperature log. Make improvements to your plan and work with your regulatory authority to ensure your HACCP plan is the best it can be.
Establish record-keeping procedures. Records for HACCP plans include the hazard analysis, the plan itself, and supporting documents for the critical limits. In this example, the supporting documents would likely be temperature logs. Store and maintain these records in an accessible location so your employees can refer to it as needed.

In addition to following these seven steps, you may be required to put certain labels on your food. For example, if you pasteurize juice at your facility, you will want to include the fact that it’s pasteurized on the label. Work with your local regulatory agency to ensure you have an accurate label that meets the required standards.

Preserving food in certain ways, like using vinegar in fruits and vegetables, curing meats, and pasteurizing juice needs to be done in specific ways to prevent foodborne illness. If you want to preserve your own food onsite at your facility, you’ll need to create and follow an approved HACCP plan.

For more information about HACCP plans or for other food safety tips, check out our food manager certification training.

— Janilyn Hutchings

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