What is HACCP?

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a method for finding and controlling hazards to food safety. Every business that prepares, processes, packs, stores or sells food must work according to the HACCP principles in the Netherlands. This is set out in Article 5 of the EU hygiene regulation 852/2004 , and the NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) checks compliance.

You can comply in two ways: with your own HACCP plan, or with a hygiene code for your sector that the NVWA has approved. A HACCP certificate is not legally required. You can read what that certificate is on getting a HACCP certificate.

In short: HACCP is a mandatory way of working, not a certificate. You show which hazards are present in your process, where you control them, and that you actually do this every day and record it.

HACCP in brief


What is it?	A method for hazard analysis and control of critical points
Who for?	Every food business after primary production: hospitality, craft, retail, production, catering, storage and transport
Mandatory?	Yes, under Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004
How do you comply?	Your own HACCP plan or an approved hygiene code
Supervision	NVWA, through inspections and audits
Certificate needed?	No. Certification is voluntary, for example through ISO 22000
Basis of the method	7 principles from the Codex Alimentarius

Where does HACCP come from?

The seven HACCP principles come from the Codex Alimentarius of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The most recent version of that text is the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), revised in 2020 and 2022. The EU has laid down the principles in the hygiene regulation. The Netherlands develops them further in the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Act (Warenwet).

In practice, you look at four types of hazard: microbiological (bacteria), chemical (cleaning agents, residues), physical (glass, metal) and allergens. You assess each one per process step on the page hazard analysis in HACCP.

What do you actually need to do for HACCP?

A bakery that makes sausage rolls, for example, records that the minced meat arrives chilled, that the rolls are baked thoroughly, and that the display case stays warm enough. It measures those points, writes down the values and knows what to do when something goes wrong.

That is HACCP in a nutshell. The seven principles describe the steps, the CCP decision tree helps you choose which points are critical, and the HACCP plan example shows what it looks like when you write it down.

All HACCP topics at a glance

Below you find the pages by question. Start with the certificate if you want to know what you need to arrange. Start with the principles if you are going to write your own plan.

What it is, when you need it and what it costs.

HACCP certificate

All principles explained with one continuous example.

The 7 HACCP principles

Find and assess hazards per process step.

Hazard analysis

Use four questions to decide whether a step is a critical point.

CCP decision tree

A completed plan from a small caterer to adapt.

HACCP plan example

When a sector code is enough and when it is not.

Hygiene code and HACCP

Check yourself whether your HACCP system is complete.

HACCP checklist

What the inspector looks at and what happens after a breach.

NVWA inspection

What a restaurant must arrange, with a plan or with a hygiene code.

Is HACCP compulsory for a restaurant?

Ten working agreements for staff, with a template.

HACCP kitchen rules

Which record lists you fill in daily, and what goes on them.

HACCP lists for hospitality

Situations that require an update, with a change log.

When do you update your HACCP plan?

Limit value, target value and action limit per product group.

Limit values in HACCP

The 14 allergens and a completed example per dish.

Allergen matrix in HACCP

Cleaning tasks, frequencies and agents in an example.

Cleaning schedule for hospitality

A measurement list with deviations and actions, worked out.

Temperature logging for hospitality

What you keep, how you record the retention period and what the inspector wants to see.

How long do you keep HACCP records?

HACCP and certification

Do you supply supermarkets, or does a client ask for a certificate? Then HACCP is only the foundation. Schemes such as ISO 22000, FSSC 22000 and BRCGS build a management system around your HACCP plan. You can read the difference on ISO 22000 vs HACCP.

Sources

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