HACCP Plan: A step-by-step guide

A HACCP plan must be developed using the below-listed tasks, all of which are intended to verify that the 7 principles of HACCP are correctly applied. Conducting a hazard analysis, which is part of principle 1, necessitates that the preceding five duties have all been addressed logically and honestly in order to identify all actual hazards related to the commodity. The twelve tasks are outlined in Appendix II and are briefly discussed below.

1. Form a HACCP team

The HACCP team should consist of members from a variety of disciplines in order to fully comprehend the commodity system and be able to recognize all potential risks and CCPs. The group should consist of:

A team leader to convene the group on the concept of the HACCP Plan. This person must be familiar with the technique and allow all participants to contribute their share to HACCP Plan.

Several specialists such as packaging specialists, raw material buyers, distribution staff or production staff, farmers, and brokers with a detailed knowledge of the commodity system.

The HACCP team’s first task is to determine the HACCP Plan’s scope. As a result, the assignment will be easier to complete and the team can recruit expertise as needed.

2. Describe the product

To start a hazard analysis a full description of the product includes information relevant to safety, specification, regulation, properties of the raw materials, and a description of the final product.

3. Determine the intended usage of the product

An essential factor is the intended usage of the product. The hazard analysis will be impacted by information on whether the product will be ingested directly, heated, or further processed. The target market for the product may also be important, especially if it comprises vulnerable populations like infants, the elderly, and undernourished people. A product’s potential for misuse, such as accidentally or on purpose using pet food as human food, should also be taken into account as described above in the HACCP Plan.

4. Identify the hazard

Effective hazard identification and hazard analysis are the keys to a successful HACCP Plan. Food safety hazards for HACCP programs have been classified into three types – Biological, Chemical, and Physical.

 Hazard identification must be followed by hazard analysis to determine the relative health risk that the hazard poses to people or animals. It is a method for compiling and evaluating the body of knowledge regarding the type and scope of the health risk connected to the hazard.

5. Monitoring Procedures

Monitoring is the mechanism for confirming critical limits are not exceeded. The method chosen for monitoring must be able to detect any loss of control of the step so that corrective action can be taken as quickly as possible. Corrective actions must ensure appropriate CCP has been brought back under control and food is prevented from any product deviation.

6. Verify the HACCP plan

Once the HACCP plan has been drawn up the person charged with the responsibility for that particular component must verify all routine operations are verified and reviewed at regular intervals. HACCP plan is in routine operation, formal internal auditing plan of the system represents an essential verification activity and the product is meeting customer specifications.

7. Keeping Record

Record keeping is an essential part of the HACCP Plan as evidence of ‘Due Diligence Defence’. It provides a record of compliance and correct procedures that have been followed from the start to the end of the process.

Records should include all processes and procedures, documents, and remedial activity with the monitoring of CCPs. keeping can be carried out in several ways, ranging from simple checklists to digital HACCP Certification. HACCP Plan in Mumbai, Delhi, and all over India is appropriate for all sizes and the nature of the enterprise.