How to Create a HACCP Plan Step by Step

HACCP Plan guidance helps food businesses prevent food safety problems before contamination, customer complaints or foodborne illness reveal that something has gone wrong. Rather than reacting to incidents, a HACCP Plan provides a structured, preventive approach by examining how food moves through an operation, identifying significant food safety hazards, and establishing controls at the points where failure could make food unsafe.

Quick Overview
The guide also includes practical resources such as a HACCP plan example, HACCP plan template, and guidance on creating a HACCP plan for restaurant operations. It explains how HACCP requirements apply to different food businesses, from small cafés to larger food manufacturers, and highlights the importance of regular HACCP plan review to keep the system effective. 

This guide covers:
✅ What a HACCP Plan means and how it supports effective food safety management
✅ Why the HACCP principles are important for food businesses
✅ The five preliminary tasks and seven HACCP principles explained with practical examples
✅ How hazards, Critical Control Points (CCPs), critical limits and monitoring procedures work together
✅ HACCP documentation, verification, corrective actions and record-keeping requirements
✅ HACCP plan template, HACCP plan example, restaurant applications and UK food-safety considerations

A HACCP Plan may cover purchasing, receiving deliveries, storage, preparation, cooking, cooling, reheating, packaging, transport and service. The level of detail should be proportionate to the nature and complexity of the business. For example, a small café may require a relatively simple HACCP-based food safety system, while a manufacturer producing chilled ready-to-eat meals may need detailed, product-specific hazard analyses and documented control measures.

This guide explains the five preliminary tasks, the seven HACCP principles, provides a practical HACCP Plan example, and outlines how to review and maintain the completed system to help ensure it remains effective over time.

What Is a HACCP Plan?

What is the HACCP Plan? A HACCP Plan is a documented food safety system used to identify, evaluate and control hazards that could make food unsafe throughout food production, preparation and service.

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. The HACCP Plan meaning can be understood by looking at its core elements:

• A hazard is anything with the potential to make food unsafe.
• Hazard analysis evaluates which hazards could reasonably occur and assesses how serious they may be.
• A Critical Control Point (CCP) is a stage in the process where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.
• The HACCP Plan documents how hazards will be controlled, monitored, corrected, verified and reviewed.

HACCP is a preventive system. Rather than relying primarily on testing finished food, it controls food safety throughout the entire process. For example, a restaurant preparing chicken should consider supplier approval, chilled storage, preparation practices, cooking, hot holding, cooling and reheating before the meal reaches the customer.

A HACCP Plan normally forms part of a wider food safety management system. Routine prerequisite controls, such as cleaning, handwashing, pest management, equipment maintenance, supplier approval and allergen management, provide the essential foundation on which HACCP depends.

Even a detailed HACCP Plan cannot compensate for poor hygiene practices, inadequate staff training or unsuitable equipment. These prerequisite procedures must be implemented effectively in day-to-day operations.

HACCP Plan Requirements

The main HACCP Plan requirements are based on seven internationally recognised HACCP principles. A food business should:

• Identify and analyse hazards.
• Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs).
• Establish critical limits.
• Establish monitoring procedures.
• Establish corrective actions.
• Establish verification procedures.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and records.

Before applying these principles, the business should have effective prerequisite programmes in place. Depending on the operation, these may include cleaning and sanitation, personal hygiene, temperature-controlled storage, pest control, waste management, allergen management, equipment maintenance, traceability and staff training.

The scope of the HACCP Plan should also be clearly defined. It should specify which products, premises and process stages are covered. For example, food that is cooked and served immediately follows a different process from food that is cooked, cooled, refrigerated and later reheated.

A practical HACCP Plan format typically identifies each process stage, the associated hazard, control measure, CCP decision, critical limit, monitoring method, responsible person, corrective action, verification activity and the records to be maintained.

Documentation should be proportionate to the size and complexity of the business. A small food business should avoid creating unnecessary paperwork, but it must retain sufficient records to demonstrate that significant food safety risks are effectively controlled.

Finally, the HACCP Plan should accurately reflect the business’s actual operation. Copying a plan from another restaurant or food business may overlook important differences in ingredients, equipment, production methods, portion sizes, premises layout and customer requirements, reducing the plan’s effectiveness.

The 5 Preliminary Tasks Before Creating a HACCP Plan

Before developing a HACCP Plan, food businesses must complete five preliminary tasks that provide the foundation for an effective food safety system. People often ask, “What are the 7 steps of the HACCP Plan?” While the seven HACCP principles are the formal control stages, these five preparatory tasks should be completed first to ensure the HACCP Plan is accurate, practical and based on the actual operation.

Understanding the HACCP Plan meaning also helps clarify why these tasks are important. A HACCP Plan is designed to identify, evaluate and control food safety hazards before they can affect consumers. Completing the preliminary tasks also supports compliance with recognised HACCP Plan requirements by ensuring the hazard analysis is based on reliable information.

The five preliminary tasks are:

• Assemble the HACCP team.
• Describe the product.
• Identify its intended use.
• Construct a process flow diagram.
• Confirm the process flow diagram on site.

The final two tasks are closely linked because the process flow diagram should always be verified against what actually happens during day-to-day operations before the hazard analysis begins.

Step 1: Assemble the HACCP Team

The first step in creating a HACCP Plan is to assemble a team with appropriate knowledge of the food, equipment, production process and workplace.

In a small restaurant, the team may consist of the owner, head chef and kitchen supervisor. A larger food business may involve personnel from production, food safety, quality assurance, purchasing, maintenance and engineering.

Collectively, the team should understand:

• ingredients and suppliers;
• recipes or formulations;
• preparation and processing methods;
• storage and distribution;
• equipment and premises;
• microbiological, chemical, physical and allergen hazards; and
• how customers are expected to use the food.

Front-line employees should also be consulted, even if they are not permanent members of the HACCP team. They often have valuable practical knowledge of equipment issues, process delays and working practices that occur during busy periods.

The team should clearly define the scope of the HACCP Plan. For example, a restaurant’s plan may cover chilled and frozen ingredients from delivery through storage, preparation, cooking, hot holding, cooling, reheating and service.

At least one team member should have the authority to approve changes and allocate the necessary resources. Where production processes are technically complex, competent external food safety advice may also be appropriate.

Step 2: Describe the Product

The next task is to prepare an accurate description of the food or product group covered by the HACCP Plan.

The product description may include:

• ingredients and allergens;
• processing or preparation methods;
• packaging;
• storage conditions;
• shelf life;
• distribution arrangements; and
• whether the food is ready to eat or requires further cooking.

For example, a restaurant preparing chicken curry may record that chilled raw poultry is received from an approved supplier, stored under refrigeration, prepared on site and cooked in batches.

Some portions may be served immediately, while others are cooled and stored for later reheating. Because these follow different process routes, they should be assessed separately during hazard analysis.

The product description should be reviewed whenever ingredients, suppliers, packaging, recipes, portion sizes or shelf-life arrangements change. Even a minor ingredient substitution could introduce a new allergen, while larger production batches may affect cooking or cooling performance.

Step 3: Identify the Intended Use

The HACCP team should identify how the food is expected to be used and who is most likely to consume it.

Some foods are ready to eat, while others require cooking, reheating or further processing before consumption.

The intended consumer group is also important. Food prepared for hospital patients, care-home residents, young children or people with weakened immune systems may require stricter controls because these groups are generally more vulnerable to foodborne illness.

Reasonably foreseeable misuse should also be considered. Customers may store chilled food for longer than recommended or misunderstand reheating instructions. Although a business cannot control every action after sale, clear labelling and practical preparation instructions can help reduce foreseeable risks.

Step 4: Create and Verify the Process Flow Diagram

A process flow diagram shows every stage through which food passes during production or preparation.

A simple restaurant process might be:

Delivery → Storage → Preparation → Cooking → Service

However, many operations also include defrosting, hot holding, cooling, chilled storage, reheating, packaging and delivery.

The flow diagram should include relevant delays, temporary storage, outsourced activities, product reworking and waste handling where applicable. It should accurately reflect all significant process routes rather than only the simplest pathway.

Once the diagram has been prepared, the HACCP team should verify it by walking through the premises and comparing it with actual working practices. This site verification forms the fifth preliminary task.

During verification, the team may identify issues such as deliveries waiting before refrigeration, cooked food passing close to raw-food preparation areas or staff modifying processes during busy service periods. Any differences should be corrected before beginning the hazard analysis.

Completing these preliminary tasks provides a reliable foundation for the seven HACCP principles. Understanding the HACCP Plan steps in order helps ensure that hazards are identified using an accurate representation of the operation, supporting both effective food safety management and compliance with recognised HACCP Plan requirements.

The 7 HACCP Principles

The HACCP Plan steps in order are:

• Conduct a hazard analysis.
• Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs).
• Establish critical limits.
• Establish monitoring procedures.
• Establish corrective actions.
• Establish verification procedures.
• Establish documentation and record-keeping.

These HACCP Plan steps convert the information gathered during the preliminary tasks into a practical food safety management system. While every food business should develop a plan that reflects its own operation, these seven principles form the recognised framework used when creating a HACCP Plan.

Principle 1: Conduct a Hazard Analysis

The HACCP Plan first step is to examine every stage in the verified process flow diagram and identify food safety hazards that could reasonably occur.

Food safety hazards are generally grouped into three main categories.

• Microbiological hazards include harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins. Examples include bacterial survival following inadequate cooking or bacterial growth during unsuitable chilled storage.
• Chemical hazards include cleaning chemicals, pesticides, excessive additives, naturally occurring toxins and allergens.
• Physical hazards include glass, metal, stones, hard plastic and fragments from damaged equipment.

Hazards should be described as specifically as possible. For example, “metal fragments from a damaged slicing blade” is more useful than simply recording “physical contamination”.

The HACCP team should then assess whether each hazard is significant by considering both the likelihood of occurrence and the potential severity of harm.

For every significant hazard, suitable control measures should be identified. These may include approved suppliers, refrigerated storage, separation of raw and ready-to-eat foods, validated cooking processes, allergen controls or equipment inspections.

Some hazards can be managed through prerequisite programmes, while others may require designation as Critical Control Points.

Principle 2: Determine Critical Control Points

A Critical Control Point (CCP) is a stage where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a significant food safety hazard to an acceptable level.

Cooking raw poultry is a common CCP because inadequate cooking may allow harmful microorganisms to survive. If there is no later control step, cooking becomes critical to food safety.

Not every important procedure is a CCP. Routine activities such as cleaning, handwashing and pest control are normally managed through prerequisite programmes rather than CCPs.

A decision tree can assist the HACCP team in determining whether a stage should be classified as a CCP. It typically considers whether a significant hazard exists, whether an effective control measure is available and whether a later stage will eliminate or control the hazard.

However, the decision tree supports professional judgement rather than replacing it.

The team should avoid identifying unnecessary CCPs, as too many can make the system difficult to manage and may divert attention from genuinely critical controls.

Principle 3: Establish Critical Limits

A critical limit separates acceptable from unacceptable control at a CCP.

Critical limits may relate to time, temperature, acidity (pH), water activity, concentration or another measurable parameter. General instructions such as “cook thoroughly” or “cool quickly” are too vague to demonstrate effective control.

Each critical limit should be supported by legislation, recognised scientific evidence, official guidance or suitable validation. It should also reflect the actual product, equipment, portion size and production process used by the business.

A time-and-temperature combination suitable for one product may not be appropriate for a larger batch or a different cooking method.

Many businesses also establish operational targets that provide a safety margin before the critical limit is reached, allowing corrective action before control is lost.

Principle 4: Establish Monitoring Procedures

Monitoring confirms whether each CCP remains under control.

The monitoring procedure should clearly define:

• what will be checked;
• how it will be checked;
• when or how frequently it will be checked;
• who is responsible; and
• where the results will be recorded.

For example, within a HACCP Plan for a restaurant, a trained employee may use a calibrated probe thermometer to measure the centre temperature of each cooked batch before service.

Monitoring should take place frequently enough to detect any loss of control before unsafe food reaches customers. Records should be completed immediately after each check rather than relying on memory.

Measuring equipment should also be maintained and regularly checked for accuracy, as reliable monitoring depends on accurate instruments.

Principle 5: Establish Corrective Actions

Corrective actions explain what employees must do whenever a critical limit is not achieved.

The procedure should address both the affected food and the underlying cause of the failure.

For example, if food has not completed its validated cooking process, it may be possible to continue cooking and verify that the critical limit has been achieved. If food safety cannot be demonstrated, the affected food should be isolated and safely discarded.

The cause of the failure should also be investigated. Possible reasons include overloaded equipment, incorrect settings, equipment malfunction or inaccurate temperature measurement.

Corrective action records should document:

• the failed result;
• the affected product;
• the immediate action taken;
• the final product decision;
• the cause of the failure; and
• the person responsible.

Repeated failures may indicate that equipment, procedures or staff training require improvement.

Principle 6: Establish Verification Procedures

Verification confirms that the HACCP Plan is being implemented correctly and continues to operate effectively.

Verification differs from monitoring. Monitoring checks individual CCPs during production, whereas verification evaluates the performance of the overall HACCP system.

Verification activities may include:

• reviewing monitoring records;
• observing working practices;
• reviewing corrective actions;
• calibrating measuring equipment;
• internal audits; and
• examining customer complaints or food safety incidents.

Validation and verification are closely related but have different purposes. Validation demonstrates that a control measure is capable of controlling a hazard, while verification confirms that the validated procedure is consistently followed in practice.

A regular HACCP Plan review should also be carried out whenever products, ingredients, suppliers, equipment, processes or legislation change, or following a food safety incident.

Principle 7: Establish Documentation and Record-Keeping

Records provide evidence of what the business planned, what employees monitored and how any failures were managed.

Typical HACCP documentation includes:

• the HACCP study scope;
• product descriptions;
• process flow diagrams;
• hazard analyses;
• CCP determinations;
• monitoring records;
• corrective action reports;
• equipment calibration records;
• staff training records; and
• HACCP Plan review records.

Both paper-based and electronic systems can be suitable. Documentation should be practical, proportionate and easy for employees to complete during normal operations while recording the date, results, responsible person and any actions taken.

A well-designed HACCP Plan template or practical HACCP Plan format can help businesses organise this information consistently. However, any HACCP Plan example or template should always be adapted to reflect the business’s own products, equipment, processes and food safety hazards rather than copied without review.

HACCP Plan Example

The following simplified HACCP Plan example shows part of a restaurant’s cooked chicken process. It illustrates a typical HACCP Plan format and demonstrates how the HACCP principles are applied in practice. The example is for illustrative purposes only and does not provide universal critical limits, as these should always be validated for the specific product, equipment and process.

Process stage	Hazard and control	CCP decision	Monitoring and action
Chilled storage	Microbial growth controlled through suitable refrigeration	Depends on the hazard analysis	Check at planned intervals and assess the food if control is lost
Preparation	Cross-contamination controlled through separation and good hygiene practices	Usually managed as a prerequisite programme	Observe staff, stop production if necessary, clean affected areas and assess any exposed food
Cooking	Survival of harmful microorganisms	Commonly a CCP	Check each batch against the validated critical limit; continue cooking where appropriate or safely discard the product
Hot holding	Microbial growth caused by unsuitable holding conditions	May be a CCP	Monitor at defined intervals and discard food if safety cannot be demonstrated

A complete HACCP Plan would normally include additional stages such as receiving deliveries, chilled and frozen storage, cooling, reheating, allergen management, cleaning, service, transport where applicable, verification activities and record-keeping.

HACCP Plan Template

A practical HACCP Plan template should begin with basic business information, including the business name, site location, scope of the study, products covered, HACCP team members, version number and review date.

The main HACCP Plan format typically includes columns for:

• Process stage.
• Potential hazard.
• Control measure.
• CCP decision.
• Critical limit.
• Monitoring procedure.
• Corrective action.
• Verification activity.
• Record used.

Supporting documentation may include cleaning schedules, allergen information, supplier specifications, equipment operating instructions, calibration records and staff training records.

A HACCP Plan template provides a structured framework, but it cannot identify hazards or determine appropriate critical limits automatically. Every HACCP Plan should be tailored to reflect the business’s actual products, equipment, processes and food safety hazards.

HACCP Plan for Restaurant Operations

A HACCP Plan for restaurant operations should accurately reflect the menu, preparation methods and the different routes food follows through the kitchen.

Food that is prepared and served immediately follows a different process from food that is cooked, cooled, refrigerated and later reheated. Buffets, takeaway services, home delivery and off-site catering may introduce additional food safety hazards that should also be considered.

Restaurants should pay particular attention to:

• preventing cross-contamination;
• managing allergen information accurately;
• maintaining effective temperature controls; and
• reviewing recipe or ingredient changes.

For example, replacing a sauce, seasoning or garnish may introduce a new allergen that is not reflected in existing documentation.

Many smaller restaurants, cafés and takeaway businesses can use an official HACCP-based food safety toolkit rather than developing a complex manufacturing-style system. However, the selected system should always be completed for the specific premises and consistently followed during daily operations.

Developing HACCP Awareness with Skills Pack

Skills Pack currently offers a Health and Safety in the Workplace Training course that includes a dedicated module on HACCP food safety.

According to the published course information, the programme is suitable for learners at all levels and includes approximately 20 hours of self-paced study, lifetime access and a certificate of completion. It also covers workplace hygiene, hazard identification, risk management and other health and safety topics.

For learners seeking an introduction to HACCP, the course may provide useful background knowledge on how HACCP fits within broader workplace health and safety practices. However, based on the available course information, it is not presented as a standalone HACCP qualification or an Ofqual-regulated food safety certification.

Before enrolling, learners should confirm the course syllabus, assessment method, certificate issuer and any recognition required by their employer or industry. Completing a training course can support professional development, but it does not replace practical workplace competence or the need to develop and implement a site-specific HACCP Plan.

Reviewing and Updating Your HACCP Plan

A regular HACCP Plan review is essential to ensure the food safety system remains accurate, effective and relevant to current operations.

Reviews should be carried out at planned intervals and whenever significant changes occur.

Common review triggers include:

• introducing a new recipe or product;
• changing an ingredient or supplier;
• installing new equipment;
• altering the premises or workflow;
• revising packaging or shelf life;
• repeated monitoring failures;
• customer complaints or food safety incidents; and
• new legislation, recognised scientific evidence or updated official guidance.

During a HACCP Plan review, the HACCP team should walk through the process again, examine monitoring and verification records, and confirm that the process flow diagram continues to reflect actual working practices.

The review outcome should always be documented, even where no changes are required. Where amendments are necessary, the business should update the version number, remove obsolete documentation, issue revised records where appropriate and ensure affected employees are informed of the changes.

Regular reviews also help ensure that the HACCP Plan steps in order continue to function as intended. Whether reviewing the HACCP Plan first step, updating later HACCP Plan steps, adapting a HACCP Plan example, modifying a HACCP Plan template, or revising the overall HACCP Plan format, every change should be based on the business’s actual operation and supported by appropriate food safety evidence.

Conclusion

A well-developed HACCP Plan begins with understanding the food, the production process, the people involved and how the product moves through the business. The five preliminary tasks establish the foundation for the system, while the seven principles provide a structured framework for identifying hazards, implementing controls, establishing critical limits, monitoring performance and taking corrective action when required.

Following the HACCP Plan steps in order helps ensure that significant food safety hazards are assessed systematically and managed using appropriate control measures. Whether developing a new HACCP Plan for restaurant operations or reviewing an existing system, the plan should always be practical, evidence-based and tailored to the business’s actual activities.

A HACCP Plan is not simply documentation prepared for inspections. It should accurately reflect day-to-day operations and be reviewed whenever ingredients, suppliers, equipment, production methods or working practices change. Regular HACCP Plan review helps ensure the system remains effective and continues to protect food safety.

Businesses can use a HACCP Plan template, HACCP Plan example or standard HACCP Plan format as a starting point, but these resources should always be adapted to the specific products, processes and hazards within the operation. When employees understand the HACCP Plan steps, including the HACCP Plan first step and each principle that follows, they are better equipped to prevent unsafe food from reaching customers and support ongoing compliance with recognised food safety practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the 7 steps of the HACCP Plan?

The seven HACCP Plan steps are:

• Conduct a hazard analysis.
• Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs).
• Establish critical limits.
• Establish monitoring procedures.
• Establish corrective actions.
• Establish verification procedures.
• Establish documentation and record-keeping.

2. What is the first step in a HACCP Plan?

The HACCP Plan first step during the preliminary stage is to assemble a competent HACCP team and define the scope of the study. The first formal HACCP principle is conducting a hazard analysis.

3. Does every UK food business need a HACCP system?

Food businesses in the UK are generally required to implement and maintain a documented food safety management system based on HACCP principles. The level of detail should be proportionate to the nature, size and food safety risks of the business.

4. Can a small restaurant use a HACCP Plan template?

Yes. A HACCP Plan template can help structure the documentation, but it should always be adapted to reflect the restaurant’s actual menu, ingredients, equipment, premises, production processes and food safety hazards.

5. Is cooking always a Critical Control Point?

No. Cooking is commonly identified as a CCP for many foods, but the decision should always be based on the hazard analysis and whether later process steps provide an effective control measure.

6. How many CCPs should a HACCP Plan contain?

There is no fixed number. A HACCP Plan should include only the Critical Control Points that are justified by the hazard analysis and the specific production process.

7. What is the difference between monitoring and verification?

Monitoring checks whether a CCP remains under control during production. Verification evaluates whether the overall HACCP Plan is being implemented correctly and continues to operate effectively.

8. How often should a HACCP Plan be reviewed?

A HACCP Plan review should be carried out at planned intervals and whenever products, ingredients, suppliers, equipment, production methods or other significant operational changes occur.

9. Can I use a HACCP Plan example instead of creating my own?

A HACCP Plan example can be a useful learning resource or starting point, but it should never be copied without modification. Every HACCP Plan should be developed or adapted to reflect the business’s own products, processes, equipment and food safety hazards.

10. Does a Skills Pack certificate equal a regulated HACCP qualification?

Not necessarily. Based on the publicly available course information reviewed, the relevant Skills Pack course provides a certificate of completion. However, this does not by itself confirm that it is a regulated HACCP qualification. Learners should verify the qualification status, certificate issuer and employer recognition before enrolling.