HACCP, short for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, is a system in which a food business identifies the hazards in its process and controls them at the steps where control is critical. You check that a supplier follows it by reading their HACCP plan, then seeing the critical control points and their records working on the factory floor.
The principles come from the Codex Alimentarius general principles of food hygiene, and most food safety schemes build on them.
The seven principles
- Conduct a hazard analysis of every step in the process.
- Determine the critical control points (CCPs).
- Set critical limits for each CCP.
- Set up monitoring of each CCP.
- Define corrective actions for when a limit is missed.
- Verify that the system works.
- Keep documents and records.
What HACCP looks like in a spice plant
The hazards fall into three groups. Biological hazards include Salmonella and moulds. Chemical hazards include pesticide residues, mycotoxins, ethylene oxide, allergens and adulterants. Physical hazards include stones, metal, glass and plastic.
Typical CCPs in a grinding unit are steam sterilisation, where it is used, with time and temperature limits, and metal detection on the finished product. Some plants also treat final sieving as a CCP. Many chemical hazards are controlled earlier, through raw material approval and testing.
HACCP sits on top of prerequisite programmes: cleaning, pest control, staff hygiene, maintenance and supplier approval. If those are weak, the plan will not hold.
How to check it is real
- Ask for the HACCP plan and process flow diagram before your visit. It should match the actual line when you walk it.
- Find each CCP on the floor. Ask the operator what the limit is and what they do if it is missed.
- Read recent monitoring records. Look for real entries, occasional deviations and different signatures, not perfect columns filled in one hand.
- Ask to see a corrective action record. A plant that never records a deviation is either very rare or not recording.
- Ask for the metal detector to be tested with its test pieces while you watch.
- Check who leads the HACCP team and what training they have had.
- Check that the plan was reviewed after the last change of line, product or major complaint.
Certificates and practice
A HACCP certificate on the wall is not proof on its own. Some are issued after a light document review. What you see on the floor matters more. Our guide to auditing a spice grinding factory puts these checks into a full visit.
Where we come in
During our audits we compare the supplier's HACCP plan with the working line, test the CCPs and read the records. If you want a plant checked before your first order, ask for a free sourcing review.