Online Courses FAQs

General HACCP

Are you fully aware of what HACCP is and what it is used for? Our FAQs are here to help.

• How long is HACCP certification valid?

  HACCP course certificates are valid indefinitely, but it is recommended that they are renewed every 3 years.

• How long should HACCP records be kept?

  There is no legal minimum which dictates how long you should keep you HACCP records for, so you should decide what is an appropriate amount of time to keep them for your business.

• What do you understand by HACCP?

  HACCP stands for ‘Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points’. It is a set of principles that can be used in the development of a Food Safety Management System. The HACCP principles help businesses to implement adequate food safety procedures, which help protect consumers and the businesses themselves.

• What does a product flow chart show?

  A product flow chart creates an easy-to-follow visual diagram of the steps in your food production process for a specific product, allowing you to accurately identify the critical control points (CCPs) in your food production process.

• What is an example of a critical limit in a HACCP plan?

  Critical limits can be defined as the maximum safe limit that can be reached at a Critical Control Point (CCP) of whichever measurement is being taken for safety purposes, an example of which being the minimum and maximum temperatures that refrigerated food need to be stored at. If these critical limits were exceeded, it would signal an issue at that particular critical control point.

• What is HACCP used for?

  HACCP are a set of principles that are used in the development of a Food Safety Management System. A Food Safety Management System developed using the principles of HACCP helps to protect consumers and businesses themselves.

• What is the critical limit for cooking?

  A critical limit for cooking is typically the temperature that an ingredient must reach in order to have safely killed off any potentially harmful bacteria. In most instances, products will be cooked to 75C.

• What is the first step in creating a HACCP system?

  The first step in creating a HACCP plan is creating flow diagrams of your food production process which accurately reflect all stages of production, ideally created on-site to ensure every aspect is accounted for.

• What is the purpose of documenting food monitoring processes?

  By documenting the food monitoring process, you create a tangible record of all the safety measures you undertake as a business. This allows you to ensure all staff are following your safety procedures, have a log which can be referenced in the event of an inspection, and can isolate areas where your food safety processes may be encountering difficulties so you can take appropriate actions.

• Which food businesses need to implement a HACCP based food safety system?

  HACCP plans are mandatory if you own a food business (catering, manufacturing or retail based), as dictated by Retained Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. This states that you need to implement permanent process and uphold all the principles of HACCP, regardless of the size of your business.

• Which food should be rejected during receiving?

  Foods which carry an element of risk should be checked for temperature upon delivery, including any chilled foods and frozen foods. Any deliveries of chilled food should not measure more than +5 °C, while frozen food should be higher than -18°C. If these temperature limits are exceeded, then that food within the delivery should be rejected. Additionally, any products that are past their use-by or best before date should be rejected. Any food and packaging should be in good condition – any damaged items should also be rejected.