HACCP is built on seven principles: conduct a hazard analysis, identify critical control points, establish critical limits, set up monitoring procedures, define corrective actions, verify the system works, and maintain records.

For a wholesale bakery, a critical control point might be oven temperature. For confectionery, it might be tempering temperature. For frozen food, it’s blast-freeze time and temperature.

The documentation burden is where most food manufacturers feel HACCP’s weight. Every CCP needs monitoring records. Every deviation needs a corrective action record. When documentation lives on paper clipboards, it works — until the auditor asks for a specific record from six months ago.

HACCP isn’t a certification — it’s a methodology. Third-party certifications like SQF, BRC, and FSSC 22000 incorporate HACCP as their foundation.