HACCP (say "hassip") is a way to plan food safety before anything goes wrong. It started with food for the U.S. space program in the 1960s and is now used by food plants and by restaurants for special processes.
Key idea
The seven principles: (1) analyze hazards; (2) find the critical control points (CCPs), steps where control is essential, such as cooking and cooling; (3) set critical limits for each (for example, 165°F for poultry); (4) monitor them (who checks, how, how often); (5) set corrective actions when a limit is missed; (6) verify the plan works; (7) keep records.
| Step for chicken soup | CCP? | Critical limit |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving raw chicken | Often | At 41°F or below |
| Cooking the chicken | Yes | 165°F |
| Cooling the soup | Yes | 135°F to 70°F in 2 hours; to 41°F within 6 hours in all |
| Reheating for service | Yes | 165°F for 15 seconds within 2 hours |
| Chopping carrots | Usually no | (covered by basic hygiene) |
Why it works
The Food Code requires a HACCP plan for some special processes in restaurants, such as reduced-oxygen packaging (vacuum-sealing and sous vide), curing, and smoking to preserve. Most daily cooking is covered by the code's ordinary rules instead.
Worked example: Corrective action
The cooling log shows soup at 80°F two hours after it was 135°F.
- Stage 1's limit (70°F within 2 hours) was missed.
- By the Food Code: reheat to 165°F and start cooling again, or discard; then find out why.
Answer: Reheat to 165°F and cool again (or discard), and fix the cause.
Common mistake
Calling every step a critical control point. A CCP is where control is essential and the hazard can't be fixed later.
Practice at home
- Write a HACCP table for a dish you make, like chili or chicken salad: each step, whether it is a CCP, and its limit.