How many principles are there in the HACCP system?

The HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system is built on seven fundamental principles designed to ensure food safety. These principles are essential components that guide the development and implementation of effective food safety management systems.

The first principle involves conducting a hazard analysis to identify potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards that could affect food safety. The second principle emphasizes determining the critical control points (CCPs) at which these hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels.

The third principle requires establishing critical limits for each CCP to ensure that they remain under control. The fourth principle focuses on implementing monitoring procedures for each CCP to verify that critical limits are being met. The fifth principle involves taking corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical limit has been exceeded.

The sixth principle emphasizes the importance of establishing record-keeping procedures to document all activities related to the HACCP system, which serves both regulatory compliance and continuous improvement purposes. Lastly, the seventh principle pertains to the validation and verification of the HACCP system to ensure that it is effective and functioning as intended.

Understanding these seven principles is crucial for anyone involved in food safety and is a key knowledge area for the Certified HACCP Auditor Exam.