How to Conduct HACCP and Why It’s Essential for Every Food Company

🧑‍🍳 How to Conduct HACCP and Why It’s Essential for Every Food Company

When we sit down to enjoy a meal — whether it’s a packed snack or a freshly cooked dish — we expect it to be safe.
Behind that assurance lies a structured, science-based approach called HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).

HACCP isn’t just a certification requirement — it’s a systematic way to prevent food safety problems before they happen. Instead of relying on final inspection or luck, HACCP focuses on analyzing and controlling hazards during production.

Let’s understand how it works and why it’s so crucial for food companies today.

What is HACCP and Why It Matters

HACCP is a preventive food safety management system designed to identify, evaluate, and control potential hazards — biological, chemical, or physical — that could make food unsafe.

Think of HACCP like a safety map for your entire process:
It guides you from raw material purchase to packaging and distribution, helping ensure every step is under control.

For food businesses, HACCP isn’t just about compliance — it’s about building customer trust, reducing waste, and maintaining consistency.

🧭 Step-by-Step: How to Conduct HACCP

HACCP follows seven key principles. Each one plays a vital role in protecting food safety.

1️⃣ Conduct a Hazard Analysis

Identify potential hazards in each step of your process — from raw material to storage.

• Example: In a juice processing plant, hazards may include microbial contamination in fruits, chemical residues from cleaning agents, or physical hazards like glass fragments.

2️⃣ Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs)

CCPs are stages where control is essential to prevent or eliminate hazards.

• Example: Pasteurization in milk processing is a CCP — it kills harmful bacteria and ensures product safety.

3️⃣ Establish Critical Limits

Set acceptable limits for each CCP.

• Example: Temperature during pasteurization must reach at least 72°C for 15 seconds to be effective.

4️⃣ Establish Monitoring Procedures

Keep track of CCPs using tools, logs, and staff checks.

• Example: Temperature and time logs are maintained during every batch run.

5️⃣ Establish Corrective Actions

If a critical limit is not met, immediate steps must be taken to correct the issue.

• Example: If the temperature drops below the required level, that batch is held back and reprocessed or discarded.

6️⃣ Establish Verification Procedures

Regularly verify the system — through audits, lab tests, or calibration — to ensure it’s working correctly.

7️⃣ Establish Record-Keeping and Documentation

Keep proper records for every step — from hazard identification to corrective actions — as evidence of compliance and improvement.

Real-Life Examples

Example 1 – A Frozen Food Factory:
A company making frozen parathas identified temperature abuse during transport as a major hazard.
By introducing temperature monitoring sensors in delivery vans (a CCP), they reduced spoilage and complaints by 90%.

Example 2 – A Spice Manufacturer:
Ground spices were at risk of metal contamination from machinery.
The company added a metal detector as a CCP and trained operators to perform hourly checks — preventing contaminated products from reaching customers.

Example 3 – A Dairy Plant:
Frequent curd spoilage was traced to inconsistent pasteurization.
With HACCP, they standardized time-temperature parameters and installed automatic temperature recorders — leading to a sharp drop in product rejection rates.

⚙️ How to Eliminate Hazards Effectively

To eliminate or reduce hazards, focus on:

• ✅ Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) — Maintain hygiene, equipment sanitation, and pest control.
• ✅ Training and Awareness — Ensure employees understand CCPs and their role in food safety.
• ✅ Supplier Control — Audit raw material suppliers for quality and safety.
• ✅ Equipment Maintenance — Calibrate sensors, thermometers, and weighing systems regularly.
• ✅ Regular Audits — Verify that HACCP plans are updated and effective.

Elimination doesn’t always mean removing the hazard entirely — sometimes it means controlling it within safe limits.

Why HACCP is Beneficial for Food Companies

• 🛡️ Builds consumer trust by ensuring consistent product safety.
• 💸 Reduces losses and waste from recalls or spoilage.
• 🚀 Opens doors to export opportunities, since HACCP is recognized globally.
• 🔁 Encourages continuous improvement and better operational control.
• ⚖️ Ensures compliance with FSSAI, ISO 22000, and international food safety regulations.

Example from Industry Practice

A mid-sized snack manufacturer in India was struggling with frequent product returns due to inconsistent taste and short shelf life.
After implementing HACCP, they realized the root cause was improper oil filtration and inconsistent frying temperature.
Once they added oil monitoring as a CCP and trained operators, the complaints almost vanished — and so did unnecessary losses.

How BIGISO Software Helps with HACCP Implementation

Managing HACCP documentation manually can be time-consuming.
BIGISO Software simplifies it by:

• 📋 Providing ready-to-use HACCP templates.
• 🔔 Sending reminders for CCP monitoring and verification.
• 📊 Offering dashboards for tracking non-conformities and corrective actions.
• 💾 Storing all records securely for easy access during audits.

It helps food companies stay compliant without getting lost in paperwork — turning HACCP into a smooth, digital process.

Final Thoughts

HACCP is not just about passing audits — it’s about building a culture of prevention and care.
When every person on the production floor understands why safety matters, your brand becomes stronger and more trustworthy.

Whether you’re producing packaged snacks, dairy products, or spices — implementing HACCP the right way ensures your customers can enjoy your food with complete confidence.