HACCP checklist
This HACCP checklist helps you check in about fifteen minutes whether you meet the HACCP obligation and are ready for an NVWA inspection. It follows the topics that the NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) looks at during inspections, and the requirements of Article 5 of EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene . Every question you answer with “no” is an action point.
The checklist works for businesses that use a hygiene code (hygiënecode) and for businesses with their own HACCP plan. Want to know what the inspector does in practice? Read NVWA inspection of HACCP.
Use the checklist every three months, and straight after a new product, new equipment or new staff. Note the date and who filled it in. Then the checklist itself is also evidence of verification.
What is on this HACCP checklist
The checklist has seven blocks. You can work through them separately, for example one block per week.
NVWA registration, hygiene code or your own plan.
1. Registration and planCCPs, critical limits and corrective actions.
2. Critical pointsCooling, cooking, holding warm and measuring.
3. TemperaturesSeparating, labelling and informing guests.
4. AllergensPremises, cleaning plan and pest control.
5. Hygiene and cleaningInstruction, knowledge and personal hygiene.
6. StaffLogs, checks and review of the plan.
7. Records and verification1. Registration and HACCP plan
| Question | Yes / no | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Is every site registered with the NVWA through MijnNVWA (the NVWA online portal)? | Mandatory and free of charge. Anyone who registered before 10 March 2026 must register again | |
| Do you confirm your NVWA registration every year? | Through MijnNVWA, see the NVWA registration page | |
| Do you work with an approved hygiene code or your own HACCP plan? | One of the two is mandatory | |
| Is it the current version of the hygiene code? | Codes are revised | |
| Do all your products and processes fall within the code or the plan? | Work out products that deviate yourself | |
| Is the plan or the code in a place where staff can access it? | The inspector will ask for it |
2. Critical control points and critical limits
This block mainly applies if you have your own plan. If you work with a hygiene code, the critical points are set out in the code. In that case, check that you apply them.
| Question | Yes / no | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Do you have a hazard analysis for each process step? | See hazard analysis in HACCP | |
| Are your CCPs justified, for example with the decision tree? | See CCP decision tree | |
| Does every CCP have a measurable critical limit? | Temperature, time or a visible criterion | |
| Does it state for each CCP who measures, how often and with what? | ||
| Does it state for each CCP what you do if there is a deviation? | Including what happens to the product |
3. Temperature control
| Question | Yes / no | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Do you store chilled products at no more than 7 °C? | Or lower if the producer specifies it. Warenwetbesluit (Dutch Commodities Decree) , Article 15 | |
| Do you keep hot dishes for immediate sale at at least 60 °C? | Same article | |
| Do you have a digital probe thermometer? | The NVWA mentions this explicitly | |
| Do you measure and record the temperature of fridges and hot-holding equipment? | At the frequency in your code or plan | |
| Do you cool cooked products quickly and in a controlled way? | Within the times in your code or plan | |
| Do chilled products carry a date? | The inspector checks date coding |
4. Allergens
| Question | Yes / no | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Do you know which allergens each dish or product contains? | Recipe or allergen card | |
| Can staff give that information to a guest straight away? | The NVWA tests knowledge on the floor | |
| Does your menu show how guests can get allergen information? | For example, a note that guests can ask for it | |
| Do you store allergens separately and in closed containers? | For example, nuts in sealed bins | |
| Do you check your labels against the recipe? | Especially for prepacked products |
5. Hygiene, cleaning and pests
| Question | Yes / no | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Can floors, walls and ceilings be cleaned properly? | No broken tiles or open seams | |
| Is there a cleaning plan with frequencies? | What, when, who and with which product | |
| Are suitable cleaning products and materials available? | ||
| Are gaps and holes where pests can enter sealed? | ||
| Is there a handwashing facility with soap and paper towels? | ||
| Do you use separate equipment for raw and prepared food? | For example, colour coding |
6. Staff and training
| Question | Yes / no | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Has every member of staff received hygiene instruction? | Mandatory under Annex II, Chapter XII of the regulation | |
| Has the person who wrote the plan been trained in the HACCP principles? | Same chapter | |
| Do you record who received which instruction? | A signed list is enough | |
| Do staff know what to do in the event of a deviation? | Ask them at random | |
| Are there rules for illness, clothing and jewellery? |
A HACCP diploma is not mandatory. What is mandatory is covered in getting a HACCP certificate.
7. Records and verification
| Question | Yes / no | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Are all the record sheets from the past few weeks filled in? | No gaps, no filling in afterwards | |
| Do deviations also record the actions taken? | ||
| Do you check your thermometers regularly? | For example in boiling water and ice water | |
| Does someone review the logs regularly and sign them off? | This is your verification | |
| Do you keep records long enough? | According to your hygiene code. KHN mentions at least six months | |
| Do you review the plan when there are new products, recipes or equipment? | Mandatory under Article 5 of the regulation |
What to do with the outcome of the HACCP checklist
Put all questions answered “no” on an action list, with a name and a date. Start with temperature and allergens. Those carry the biggest risks, and the inspector looks at them first.
Want to see what a complete plan looks like to fill your gaps? Look at the HACCP plan example. If you are working towards a certificate, the checklist is a first step. ISO 22000 also requires, among other things, mandatory documents and internal audits.
Some parts of this checklist have their own detailed guidance. For allergens, build an allergen matrix for each dish. Record cleaning in a cleaning schedule for hospitality. Log your temperature checkpoints on a temperature log, and the daily lists are on HACCP lists for hospitality.