How to write a HACCP Plan: A step-by-step guide

Contaminated food causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 420,000 deaths worldwide each year. That’s why creating and implementing a hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) plan is so crucial. It’s essential for preventing these food-related hazards, ensuring consumer health and safety, and complying with food safety regulations.

But writing a HACCP plan is easier said than done. Luckily, we can help you there — with a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to developing a plan that helps identify and control food safety risks and prevent foodborne illnesses. Before we get started, though, let’s refresh ourselves on the basics.

What is a HACCP plan?

HACCP is a management system designed to ensure food safety from harvest to consumption by addressing and preventing biological, chemical, and physical hazards in food production. Ultimately, the goal is to prevent foodborne illnesses.

A HACCP plan is a written document that outlines each step in the process of implementing these preventative measures to guarantee food safety and adhere to food safety regulations. In essence, a rigorous HACCP plan ensures safe and sanitary operating conditions for food production.

Industries that commonly use HACCP plans include food manufacturing, packaging, and processing and distribution facilities, along with restaurants, caterers, and retail stores. In some cases, pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturers may also use HACCP plans.

That said, you will always find them in the dairy, juice, seafood processing, meat and poultry processing, and retail and food service industries. If you’re in restaurant management, you’ve likely heard about or been exposed to HACCP, and you may even have a HACCP plan already in place.

The 7 principles of HACCP

The seven principles of HACCP were redefined in 1997 by The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food. They act as a framework to ensure food safety and can also be considered elements of a HACCP plan since they must be followed in order when creating one (more on this later).

Here’s a brief synopsis of each of the seven principles.

Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis

A hazard analysis involves identifying potential hazards in all steps of the food preparation process that could lead to foodborne illness or injury, like

• Cross-contamination of raw and cooked food
• Objects found in food due to improper handling
• Contamination of food via cleaning or other supplies found in prep areas

Principle 2: Determine critical control points (CCPs)

CCPs are steps in the food production process where risks and hazards can be prevented, reduced, or eliminated. They’re usually practices that lead to cross-contamination if not performed properly, including

• Receiving food from a supplier
• Handling and preparing food
• Food storage
• Cooking and reheating food
• Transporting food

Principle 3: Establish critical limits

Critical limits are the benchmarks set for each CCP to ensure that risks and hazards are controlled. For example

• Checking that prepared foods reach the minimum safe internal temperature
• Verifying that packaging is correct and intact
• Checking expiration dates
• Confirming prep surfaces are sanitized using approved cleaning methods and solutions

Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures

Monitoring procedures are the methods or tests your establishment performs to gather real-time information about your CCPs and identify areas that may need corrective action. These might include

• Using thermometers, pH meters, and time-temperature recording devices and loggers
• Adenosine triphosphate testing to measure the cleanliness of surfaces
• Visual inspections

Principle 5: Establish corrective actions

This step involves outlining the actions to take if monitoring uncovers a problem or safety hazard, such as

• Cooking food longer or at a higher temperature to reach required safety levels
• Disposing of or returning ingredients that have signs of spoilage
• Discarding items with faulty or damaged packaging
• Correcting substandard cleanliness

Principle 6: Establish verification procedures

To maintain its effectiveness and control food hazards, your HACCP system needs to be regularly evaluated — a process known as verification. Verification activities include

• Audits by internal or external food safety professionals
• Sampling and testing food products and ingredients
• Reviewing records
• Testing and calibrating food safety instruments

Principle 7: Establish recordkeeping and documentation procedures

Finally, it’s important to maintain complete and accurate records of all activities, processes, and procedures in the first six principles. This will help you identify and respond quickly to potential hazards before they become a problem and determine areas of improvement. Robust recordkeeping and documentation also allow you to train employees in proper safety procedures. Examples of records and documentation may include, among others,

• Temperature logs for storage areas
• Corrective action reports
• Cooking temperature records
• Cleaning and sanitation logs
• Employee training records
• Maintenance records

Step-by-step guide to writing a HACCP plan

Now that we’ve addressed the seven principles of HACCP, let’s look at the process of developing a HACCP plan — essentially, your official documentation of those principles.

Now, writing a HACCP plan may seem daunting. But if you’ve ever conducted restaurant inventory management, the process will likely feel familiar. Some government agencies and non-governmental organizations also offer free HACCP templates, or you can purchase them from vendors. You can also create a HACCP plan using free Jotform templates and resources, which we’ll come on to in a moment.

First, follow these steps when writing a HACCP plan.

1. Assemble your HACCP team

Your HACCP team is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining your overall HACCP system. It should be made up of key people from each department of your food business with a deep understanding of food safety in general and of your products and processes in particular. It’s a good idea to have everyone complete a course on HACCP too.

The number of people on your team will depend on the size and complexity of your organization. But however many you have, keep a record of each member and their role so that it can easily be referred to if needed.

2. Describe your product and its intended use

In this step, you’ll describe your food products, explain what they’re used for, and identify the target consumer. For example, maybe your product is gluten-free bread, and at least a portion of your target consumers are people with a gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

Depending on the nature of your operation, the product description and intended use information may include

• Product ingredients
• Details about processing methods
• Packaging and storage information
• Distribution and transport procedures
• Data about your target consumers
• Information on where your products will be distributed and sold

3. Build a process flow diagram

Once your product descriptions are complete, it’s time to create a process flow diagram. This is a simple diagram that outlines each step in the food preparation or production process, from receiving deliveries or ingredients to sale, service, or distribution.

You can verify the flow diagram by walking through each step on the chart and noting changes or improvements to be made, then documenting those changes in a final version.

4. Carry out a hazard analysis

Next, you’ll evaluate the flow diagram to determine potential hazards in the process. A hazard analysis typically consists of identifying food safety risks associated with each step in the process, evaluating how likely they are to occur, and determining preventative measures to control them.

5. Determine your CCPs

The next step involves identifying the critical control points where food hazards or risks can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced — like during food handling, preparation, cooking, storage, and reheating, among others.

6. Establish limits and monitor procedures

Now you need to set what’s known as critical limits — specific, measurable values that must be reached to mitigate or prevent risks, such as the minimum cooking temperature for meats.

Critical limits should be set for each CCP and based on regulatory requirements and other reliable sources. You’ll then outline the process of reviewing and determining whether the CCP is under control or needs corrective action.

7. Define corrective actions and use documentation

In this step, you’ll determine what to do if your operation doesn’t meet a critical limit, otherwise known as a corrective action. Critical limit deviations might require multiple corrective actions to get things back on track. For example, you may need to take action to find and fix a problem, and additional action to prevent it from happening in the future.

It’s essential to document corrective actions so there’s a record of implementation and a protocol to follow for future critical limit discrepancies.

8. Validate the plan

In the last step before implementation, you’ll validate your plan. This will include working onsite to verify that it’ll work as designed, along with reviewing HACCP literature, following guidance developed by authoritative sources or external HACCP experts, or hiring a HACCP consultant.

The goal is to confirm that the HACCP plan, once implemented, will effectively control food risks and hazards.

Common challenges in implementing a HACCP plan

There are a few obstacles you may come across when implementing your HACCP plan. These include

• Team alignment. It can be difficult to get team members from several different departments to participate in and contribute to the development of the HACCP plan as well as to appreciate its importance and understand their roles in executing it.
• Identifying all hazards. Identifying hazards becomes a challenge when there are knowledge gaps related to food safety requirements and other foodborne risks, a misunderstanding of complex processes and complicated production steps, and similar obstacles. Without a comprehensive understanding of these elements, it’s hard to evaluate how to prevent risks at each step.
• Compliance. Compliance challenges include ensuring consistent monitoring, following through on appropriate corrective actions, keeping accurate and up-to-date records, making sure verification activities proceed in accordance with the HACCP plan, and properly training employees on HACCP principles.

Additional challenges to implementing a HACCP plan include

• Limited resources
• Ineffective communication
• Lack of management commitment
• Adapting to changing conditions, such as new ingredients or suppliers, market demands, or regulations
• Complex, multi-step processes that make it difficult to identify and mitigate potential hazards

To address these challenges, you can

• Establish a dedicated HACCP team
• Provide comprehensive training to employees on HACCP principles and procedures
• Clearly communicate the importance of developing and maintaining the HACCP plan, along with each person’s role on the HACCP team and their related responsibilities
• Allocate the appropriate level of resources to staff training and all parts of the plan’s implementation
• Conduct a thorough hazard analysis, using outside experts if necessary
• Create detailed documentation of the plan

How to create a HACCP plan with Jotform

Jotform provides several templates and related resources to help food manufacturing companies, catering services, restaurants, and other food businesses develop a HACCP plan and maintain compliance. They’re powerful templates and yet simple to customize — no coding required. Below are just a few that you may find a useful starting point.

HACCP plan form template

The HACCP plan form template can be used to establish a preventive food safety plan. It’s easy to customize the form by adding your logo and updating fonts, colors, and other elements to align with your brand. The form is designed to be used in the food service industry, but it can also be adapted for use in other food service environments, including schools, daycares, and hospitals.

HACCP record keeping form template

The HACCP record keeping form template is designed to help you monitor CCPs and document corrective actions, routine equipment maintenance, and sanitation and cleaning schedules. It’s a convenient and organized way to maintain accurate records and enhance food safety protocols.

HACCP inspection form template

The HACCP inspection form template helps you monitor and document compliance with HACCP protocols during food production. This form ensures that proper food safety measures are being followed, potential hazards are identified, and corrective actions are taken to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Food safety checklist

Though not created specifically for HACCP, Jotform’s food safety checklist is ideal for ensuring that food safety standards and controls have been fulfilled. It can be used by restaurants, educational institutions, and other food providers, and by health and safety inspectors or restaurant managers to monitor food safety. Again, the template can be fully tailored to your needs without any technical know-how.

And finally, you can use Jotform Tables to track HACCP cleaning schedules; collect, organize, and manage data in an all-in-one workspace; and collaborate with others.

HACCP plan FAQs

How often should a HACCP plan be reviewed?

You should review your HACCP plan at least annually, and when any changes affect the hazard analysis — for example, when you change ingredients, processes, or equipment. You should review the plan more frequently if your establishment is experiencing negative food safety outcomes.

Who needs to be HACCP certified?

While HACCP is not a federal law in the U.S., it is a mandatory requirement for food products regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, such as meat, poultry, egg products, and seafood and juice products. Many states and industry organizations also abide by their own HACCP requirements and guidelines.

Although having a HACCP plan is considered voluntary in some food businesses, it’s recommended because it reduces public health risks and demonstrates care and concern for your customers. What’s more, the HACCP food safety management system is required by law in some countries and industries. For example, HACCP is mandatory for all food businesses in the UK.

It’s best to research the HACCP requirements for your particular type of food operation, and in your state, country, and jurisdiction.

Can a small business implement HACCP?

Yes. Even if a small business is not legally required to do so, developing and implementing a HACCP plan can improve food safety practices, enhance product quality, and, importantly, elevate consumer trust. If your small business sells food products to larger entities, you may be required to have a HACCP plan in place.

Start writing a HACCP plan today

Developing and implementing a HACCP plan is essential for ensuring food safety, preventing foodborne illnesses and other hazards, and complying with rules and regulations in food-related industries. Even if a HACCP plan is not mandatory for your type of food operation, sticking to the HACCP system can help safeguard your customers’ health and safety — increasing consumer confidence in your business.

To get started, look no further than Jotform. Jotform is an ideal solution for establishing and managing a HACCP plan with its easy-to-use, customizable resources that don’t require a complicated and time-consuming learning curve. Explore the templates we outlined above, or contact our team to see what we can do for you.

Photo by Gustavo Fring