HACCP
Short for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
A food safety management system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards and defines controls to prevent them.
Definition
HACCP is a systematic, preventive approach to food safety developed by Pillsbury and NASA in the 1960s for the Apollo program. It's now mandated by regulators worldwide — the FDA, USDA, EU Food Hygiene regulations, and Codex Alimentarius all require HACCP or HACCP-based programs. A HACCP plan involves seven principles: hazard analysis, critical control points (CCPs), critical limits, CCP monitoring, corrective actions, verification, and documentation.
Why it matters
Any business that produces, processes, packages, or distributes food must operate under a HACCP or HACCP-based plan. Failure to maintain HACCP records is one of the top inspection findings issued by the FDA and equivalent agencies. Well-documented HACCP SOPs — particularly monitoring, CCP checks, and corrective action logs — are the primary evidence auditors inspect during a HACCP audit.