The HACCP seven principles are a Codex Alimentarius framework for food safety: conduct a hazard analysis, determine critical control points, set critical limits, monitor them, define corrective actions, verify the system, and keep records. Together they build a preventive plan that controls hazards before unsafe food reaches consumers.
What are the 7 principles of HACCP?
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. It is a systematic, science-based method that identifies specific hazards and the measures needed to control them, focusing on prevention rather than relying mainly on finished-product testing. The Codex Alimentarius Commission codified the approach around seven core principles that any food business can apply, from a single kitchen to a global manufacturer.
- Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis
- Principle 2: Determine the critical control points (CCPs)
- Principle 3: Establish critical limits for each CCP
- Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures
- Principle 5: Establish corrective actions
- Principle 6: Establish verification procedures
- Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation
Each year an estimated 600 million people, or roughly 1 in 10 worldwide, fall ill from contaminated food and 420,000 die, with children under five bearing almost a third of those deaths. (World Health Organization, 2015)
Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis
We begin by listing every step in the process and identifying the biological, chemical, and physical hazards that could occur at each one. For every hazard we assess its likelihood and severity, then decide which control measures are needed. This is the foundation of the whole plan: if we miss a significant hazard here, the rest of the system cannot protect against it. Typical hazards include pathogens such as Salmonella and Listeria, allergens, chemical residues, and foreign material like glass or metal.
Principle 2: Determine the critical control points
A critical control point is a step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level. Not every hazard becomes a CCP; many are managed effectively through prerequisite programmes such as cleaning, pest control, and supplier approval. To decide, teams commonly use a decision tree, a short series of yes or no questions that separates true CCPs from steps controlled by other means. Common CCPs include cooking, chilling, metal detection, and pasteurization.
CCP versus control point: what is the difference?
A control point is any step where a factor can be controlled, but a critical control point is one where loss of control would likely result in an unacceptable safety risk. Keeping this distinction clear prevents plans from being cluttered with dozens of CCPs that dilute attention from the steps that genuinely matter.
Principle 3: Establish critical limits
For every CCP we set measurable critical limits that separate safe from unsafe product. These are usually numeric and observable, such as a minimum internal cooking temperature and time, a maximum pH, or a specific water activity level. Critical limits should be based on scientific evidence or regulatory requirements so that meeting them reliably delivers a safe result.
Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures
Monitoring is the planned observation or measurement that confirms a CCP stays within its critical limits. A good monitoring procedure answers what is measured, how, how often, and who is responsible. Continuous monitoring is ideal, but where that is not possible we schedule checks frequent enough to catch a deviation before affected product moves on.
Principle 5: Establish corrective actions
When monitoring shows a critical limit has been breached, predefined corrective actions kick in. These actions bring the process back under control, decide what happens to the affected product, and record what occurred. Deciding these steps in advance means staff react quickly and consistently rather than improvising during a stressful deviation.
Principle 6: Establish verification procedures
Verification confirms that the HACCP plan is working as intended and remains valid over time. It goes beyond day-to-day monitoring and includes activities such as calibrating instruments, reviewing records, occasional independent testing, and internal audits. Whenever the process, ingredients, or equipment change, we revalidate the plan to make sure the original assumptions still hold.
Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation
The final principle ties the system together. Records prove that hazards were analysed, limits were met, deviations were corrected, and verification took place. Well-kept documentation lets auditors and investigators confirm compliance, supports traceability during a recall, and demonstrates due diligence to regulators and customers alike.
How the seven principles fit together
The principles are sequential and interdependent. Hazard analysis feeds CCP determination, CCPs need limits, limits need monitoring, monitoring triggers corrective actions, verification checks the whole thing, and records evidence it all. In the full Codex model these seven principles sit inside a twelve-step application sequence that also covers assembling a team, describing the product, and confirming the flow diagram on site. Mastering the seven principles is the core skill, and structured templates make it far easier to apply them consistently across a real operation.