What is HACCP & Why is it Important?

HACCP is an initialism used in the hospitality industry to manage food hygiene and safety standards across all departments. When working with food, there are several hazards that you will come across that you will need to know how to deal with at every level of experience or responsibility.

So, what is HACCP and why is it important? HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is used to outline key areas in kitchen preparation, handling or transportation areas where risk can be controlled and managed. These guidelines are relevant to all food-based industries such as food delivery, handling, packing and storage.

Read on to learn more about the essentials of HACCP and why following its procedures is important to run a safe industrial kitchen, food handling service or food manufacturing site.

What is HACCP?

If you own, run, or work in a kitchen or food preparation area, you will be subject to visits from the Food Standards Agency, where you will be required to demonstrate compliance with HACCP. You will then be issued a rating per your compliance with these standards.

HACCP consists of 7 Core Principles that must be followed at every level of food handling to meet food safety standards.

These principles are:

Identify Hazards - what areas present a risk to food safety currently at every step of your work process?
Hazard Analysis - identify critical control points where your business could eliminate or improve its approach to food safety hazards.
Specify Control Measures - what measures can you make to reduce hazards to an acceptable level?
Determine Critical Control Points - identify those hazards that are critical, as opposed to those where control is essential but not deemed necessary.
Monitoring - are your methods being followed and practised effectively?
Establish a Corrective Plan - Based on your monitoring of the CCP. If something goes wrong, how can you rectify the issue?
Record Keeping - Are you keeping records of both good and bad practices in HACCP for you and HSE purposes?

What Hazards Apply to HACCP?

Hazards in food production, preparation, storage, and handling are typically considered harmful to a food product, making it unsafe to eat. These hazards can be categorised into three easy-to-remember categories and will cover every aspect of food contamination. They include:

Microbiological

Microbiological contamination poses a hazard as bacterial growth on food leaves behind pathogens which are harmful when consumed. Considerations regarding microbial contamination of food typically focus on incorrect storage and temperature of food after it has cooled.

The UK government provides a pack for small businesses, known as ‘Safer food, better business’, which outlines the key steps for correct storage and temperature management. This will be issued by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and should be obtained up to 28 days before your business begins trading.

Correct management of bacterial contamination is both the responsibility of the management and the person handling the food. These risks can be limited by;

Constantly washing your hands effectively;
Always wearing clean clothes;
Removing jewellery and watches when working;
Avoiding coughing or sneezing in areas where food is present;
Practising safe temperature and storage methods;
The correct storage of waste products away from food poses a clear microbial contamination risk. Your indoor bins should be kept away from any food, and your large outdoor bins should be stored separately from walk-ins and dry storage areas.

Limiting these factors and keeping yourself and your staff accountable is key to reducing microbiological hazards when working with food. When a health and safety executive assesses you, they will evaluate these key areas and your diligence in them on a regular basis. It remains best practice to therefore always uphold these standards to keep everyone involved safe from contamination.

Chemical

Chemical contamination can take various forms, notably allergy contamination, waste contamination, or improper chemical usage around food preparation areas. You should, in all areas of food handling, consider the following practices to reduce chemical contamination and effectively meet the required levels of due diligence:

Correct use of cleaning chemicals to the manufacturer's specified levels. These instructions are typically provided on the container, and many modern companies have a one- or two-pump method that is easy to follow. Incorrect dilution of chemicals can be toxic, so maintain consistency in your mixing levels to ensure chemicals are used effectively.
Using surface cleaners appropriately, such as D10 for surfaces during service and degreaser for end-of-shift cleaning tasks.
Correct methods to ensure allergen particulates are managed to a safe level. This may include designated and sealed chopping boards, utensils, shelving and even clothes for the key 14 allergens. The frequency and demand for diligence towards these allergens vary between sites and industries. You should have a system in place that is tailored to your business's specific needs on a case-by-case basis.
Correct storage of chemicals is key in food hazard management. Always store your chemicals away from food, ideally in a separate, well-ventilated room, and in a sealed container.
Any waste poses a chemical risk in its own right. Correct waste storage away from all food should be practised, as this could lead to chemical contamination, as well as physical and microbial risks.

Physical

Physical contamination poses a risk from large particulate matter entering food. This can range from almost anything, including:

hair from improper use of hairnets;
plasters, gloves or rings falling off a hand and making their way into food during preparation or handling;
items falling into food from above, such as kitchen equipment, labels or stationery that are improperly stored;
ash from cigarettes or chewing gum.

This is not an exhaustive list of contaminants that should be assessed by you in line with HACCP standards. You should always be aware of what is stored above a food item and how it imposes a physical risk on anything underneath it.

Why is HACCP Important?

Following proper HACCP guidelines helps establish a strong foundation for any business, regardless of its level in the food industry. There are several reasons why you would want to follow these guidelines, including building a good reputation among businesses and customers, as well as improving your health and safety rating.

Compliance with HACCP is essential for anyone seeking to work with food safely and successfully. Great businesses are those that can be trusted to carry out their duties safely and effectively, with people’s well-being being put at the forefront of their operations. Put in simpler terms, failure to follow these guidelines and practices could not only cost your job, but also your business, or even cause someone to lose their life.

Do The HACCP Rules Apply to Me?

Some practices will differ between industries. For example, some rules found in food distribution won’t be relevant for food production and preparation. However, we will cover the core elements that apply to all industries and are considered standard across each sector, following current UK Laws and Regulations.

If you are interested in risk assessments for a particular business, then see our dedicated assessments for;

Each industry comes with its own set of hazards, depending on the type of food used. Any risk assessment completed with HSEDocs will be considered as part of your due diligence and therefore be rated as a business, as seen by the FSA.

HSEDocs offers an Online Level 2 Food Hygiene Course, which can be completed in under 2 hours and is recognised by the relevant government bodies, counting towards your Food Hygiene rating.

When a food safety inspector visits you, you will not only be reviewed on your current compliance with these core principles, but also your historical records related to compliance. Good record-keeping is essential to any well-run outlet in the food industry and can lead to significant deductions being issued. The reverse is also true. If you are inspected on a typical day when you aren’t entirely up to code, then historic records of compliance can be viewed as diligent, in line with correct practices.

HACCP Compliance Training at HSEDocs

HACCP compliance is crucial for running your business safely and ensuring compliance with governmental guidelines. If you are looking to attain a high Food Safety Standard rating, then following the seven core principles and understanding the three key hazards is key to doing so.

HSEDocs offers a range of online courses designed to provide training for individuals at all levels, helping them understand and comply with food hygiene standards to a nationally recognised standard.

Online Level 2 Food Hygiene Training Course

Further reading on the course and its significance to the food industry is available on our dedicated blog, Food Health & Safety Courses.

What is HACCP & Why is it Important?