--- title: "What Is HACCP?" url: https://www.uncap.com/glossary/haccp author: "Denis Dyli" published: 2026-10-28 updated: 2026-10-28 summary: "HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is a food safety management system in which biological, chemical and physical hazards are analyzed and controlled, from raw material production, procurement and handling to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. It rests on seven principles and is written down in a HACCP plan." --- # What Is HACCP? > HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is a food safety management system in which biological, chemical and physical hazards are analyzed and controlled, from raw material production, procurement and handling to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. It rests on seven principles and is written down in a HACCP plan. **HACCP**: HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is a food safety management system in which biological, chemical and physical hazards are analyzed and controlled, from raw material production, procurement and handling to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. It rests on seven principles and is written down in a HACCP plan. ## How it works HACCP is a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards, as defined in the HACCP guidelines of the US National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), published by the FDA. Before the principles are applied, the guidelines list five preliminary tasks: assemble the HACCP team, describe the food and its distribution, describe its intended use and consumers, develop a flow diagram of the process, and verify that diagram on site. Then the seven principles follow: - Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis. - Principle 2: Determine the critical control points (CCPs). - Principle 3: Establish critical limits. - Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures. - Principle 5: Establish corrective actions. - Principle 6: Establish verification procedures. - Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures. **How a HACCP plan is built** ### 1. Prepare, Preliminary tasks The team describes the food, its distribution and intended use, and draws and verifies a process flow diagram. ### 2. Analyze, Hazard analysis The team evaluates hazards associated with the food and decides which are significant for the plan. ### 3. Control, CCPs and critical limits Steps where control is essential get a maximum or minimum value that must be met. ### 4. Monitor, Monitoring and corrective action Planned observations check each CCP, and set procedures apply when a deviation occurs. ### 5. Prove, Verification and records Verification confirms the plan works, and records document the system. A critical control point is a step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level. The guidelines give thermal processing, chilling, testing ingredients for chemical residues, product formulation control and testing product for metal contaminants as examples. A critical limit is the maximum and/or minimum value a biological, chemical or physical parameter must be controlled to at a CCP. ## When a HACCP plan is required In the US, several federal rules require HACCP for specific products: - Seafood: FDA rules (21 CFR 123.6) require every processor of fish and fishery products to conduct a hazard analysis, and to have and implement a written HACCP plan whenever that analysis reveals food safety hazards reasonably likely to occur. - Juice: FDA's juice rule (21 CFR 120.8) requires a written HACCP plan whenever a hazard analysis reveals food hazards reasonably likely to occur during processing. - Meat and poultry: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service rules (9 CFR 417.2) require every official establishment to conduct a hazard analysis and to develop and implement a written HACCP plan whenever that analysis reveals food safety hazards reasonably likely to occur. The FDA also lists a voluntary HACCP program for Grade A dairy. This is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. ## Example A seafood processor names chilling as a CCP in its HACCP plan. As an illustration, its monitoring procedure records the product temperature 4 times per shift on 2 shifts a day, which is 4 x 2 = 8 records a day and 8 x 5 = 40 records over a 5-day week. A reading outside the critical limit triggers the corrective action written in the plan, and the record shows what was done. ## On Shopify If you share food safety documents with trade buyers, Shopify's File metafield type accepts generic files under 20 MB and renders them as a downloadable link in themes, so a food safety document can be attached to each product in a [metafield](/glossary/shopify-metafields). ## How Uncap helps Uncap's [food distribution page](/industry/food-service-distribution) covers the records that travel after production. Lot and expiry are captured at fulfillment and written back against the order line, so the record of which lot went to which customer on which shipment lives in the order history rather than in a warehouse spreadsheet. Where the WMS is the system of record, that is where it stays. ## Related terms - Lot number - NSF certification - Safety data sheet (SDS) - Catch weight ## Sources - FDA: HACCP Principles and Application Guidelines - eCFR: 21 CFR 123.6, Hazard analysis and HACCP plan - eCFR: 9 CFR 417.2, Hazard Analysis and HACCP Plan ## Frequently asked questions ### What does HACCP stand for in food safety? HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. It is a food safety management system that analyzes and controls biological, chemical and physical hazards, built on seven principles from hazard analysis to record-keeping. ### Is HACCP required by law? For some US food sectors, yes. FDA rules for seafood and juice processors and USDA rules for official meat and poultry establishments require a hazard analysis and a written HACCP plan whenever that analysis reveals hazards reasonably likely to occur. The FDA also lists a voluntary HACCP program for Grade A dairy. ### What is a hazard analysis in HACCP? A hazard analysis is the process of collecting and evaluating information on hazards associated with the food under consideration to decide which are significant and must be addressed in the HACCP plan. It is the first of the seven HACCP principles. ### What is the difference between a CP and a CCP in HACCP? In HACCP, a control point (CP) is any step at which biological, chemical or physical factors can be controlled. A critical control point (CCP) is a step at which control is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.