What Is HACCP?
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is a way of finding the points in your food process where something could go wrong and putting checks in place.
UK food businesses must have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles. That does not always mean a full Codex-style plan for every small cafe, but staff still need to understand the thinking behind the checks you already do.
Hazards in plain terms
- Biological - bacteria and other germs that make people ill.
- Chemical - cleaning products, allergens treated as chemical risks in some plans, or contamination from packaging.
- Physical - glass, metal, plastic or other foreign objects.
Once you know the hazards, you decide where control matters most (critical control points), set limits, monitor them, fix problems, check the system still works, and keep records.