HACCP plan example
A HACCP plan is the document in which you record which hazards are present in your process, at which critical control points you control them, with which critical limits, how you measure, and what you do when something goes wrong. It is your own food safety plan, which the NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) wants to see during an inspection or audit if you do not use a hygiene code (hygiënecode).
Below is a fully worked-out HACCP plan example for a small caterer. It follows the 7 HACCP principles and the requirements of Article 5 of EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene . Use the structure and replace the content with your own products and processes.
The temperatures and times in this example are example values, except for the legal 7 °C for chilled storage and 60 °C for hot holding. For cooking and cooling, take the values from the hygiene code for your sector, or justify your own values.
Parts of a HACCP plan
A complete HACCP plan has six parts. For a small business, this fits on a few pages.
| Section | What it contains | Relates to |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Business and team | Who is responsible, who wrote the plan | Preparation |
| 2. Product description | Products, storage, shelf life, target group | Preparation |
| 3. Process flow chart | All steps from purchasing to delivery | Preparation |
| 4. Hazard analysis | Hazards per step with likelihood and severity | Principle 1 |
| 5. CCP table | CCPs with critical limit, monitoring, action | Principles 2 to 5 |
| 6. Verification and records | Checks on the system, logs | Principles 6 and 7 |
1. Business and HACCP team
| Business | Catering De Keukentafel (fictional), 6 staff |
| Activities | Lunches and hot meals for businesses, cooking on day 1, delivering on day 2 |
| HACCP lead | Owner, trained in the HACCP principles |
| HACCP team | Owner and head chef |
| Version and date | Version 3, March 2026 |
| Next review | Annually, or sooner with a new menu or new equipment |
2. Product description
| Product | Storage | Shelf life | Target group | Allergens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken curry with rice | Chilled, max. 7 °C | Production day + 2 days | Office workers | Celery, milk |
| Vegetarian lasagne | Chilled, max. 7 °C | Production day + 2 days | Office workers | Gluten, milk, egg |
| Filled sandwiches | Chilled, max. 7 °C | Day of production | Office workers | Gluten, milk, egg, mustard |
3. Process flow chart
The caterer works in nine steps. Each step is also in the hazard analysis.
- Purchasing and receiving
- Chilled and dry storage
- Preparation (cutting, marinating)
- Cooking
- Cooling
- Chilled storage
- Portioning and labelling
- Transport to the client
- Regenerating and serving hot on site
4. Hazard analysis (summary)
The full analysis is in a separate table, as explained on hazard analysis in HACCP. These are the significant hazards that came out of the analysis.
| Step | Significant hazard | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Growth from a delivery at too high a temperature | Prerequisite: receiving check |
| Preparation | Cross-contamination between raw and prepared food | Prerequisite: colour-coded chopping boards |
| Cooking | Survival of bacteria | CCP 1 |
| Cooling | Growth of spore-formers | CCP 2 |
| Portioning and labelling | Allergen in the wrong meal or not on the label | CCP 3 |
| Regenerating | Temperature too low at serving | CCP 4 |
5. CCP table in the HACCP plan
This is the heart of the plan. The choice of these four CCPs was made with the CCP decision tree.
| CCP | Critical limit | Monitoring (what, how, when, who) | Corrective action | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cooking | Core temperature at least 75 °C (example value) | Probe thermometer in the thickest part, every pan, cook | Keep cooking and measure again | Cooking log |
| 2. Cooling | From 60 °C to 7 °C or lower within 5 hours (example value) | Temperature and time at start and end, every batch, cook | Too late: discard the product, record the cause | Cooling log |
| 3. Portioning and labelling | Label matches recipe, 100% of containers | Second person checks label against recipe, every batch | Set the container aside, relabel | Label check log |
| 4. Regenerating | Serve hot at at least 60 °C | Measure after reheating and every hour in the bain-marie, staff member on site | Reheat according to hygiene code, otherwise discard | Serving log |
The legal 60 °C for hot holding and 7 °C for chilled storage come from Article 15 of the Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (Dutch Commodities Decree on the preparation and handling of food) .
6. Verification and records
Verification shows that the plan works. Records prove that you carry it out every day.
| What | How often | Who | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review and sign off lists | Weekly | Owner | Initials on the list |
| Check thermometers (boiling water and ice water) | Monthly | Head chef | Calibration log |
| Discuss deviations | Monthly | HACCP team | Deviation list with actions |
| Review HACCP plan | Annually and with changes | HACCP team | New version with date |
| Instruct staff | On joining and annually | Owner | Signed instruction list |
The regulation requires documents that suit the nature and size of your business. Keep your records long enough to look back on them during an inspection. If your sector follows a hygiene code, that code sets a minimum retention period.
How do you use this HACCP plan example?
Start with your own process flow chart. Walk through it for a day in the kitchen, and write down every step the food goes through. Then adjust the hazard analysis and the CCP table.
Do not copy the caterer’s CCPs without thinking. A bakery has other critical points, such as the core temperature of sausage rolls and the cooling of cream products. A snack bar mainly focuses on frying oil, cooling of snacks and allergens.
A plan changes with the business. When you make a change, increase the version number and note the reason; see when to update your HACCP plan. For the critical limits in the CCP table, the explanation on critical limits in HACCP helps.
Common mistakes in a HACCP plan
- A plan nobody knows. The cook must know what CCP 2 is, not only the owner.
- Critical limits without a source. Write down where each value comes from: hygiene code, law or your own validation.
- Corrective actions that do not fit. “Reporting to the head chef” is not an action. What happens to the product?
- No version control. Without a date and version, you cannot show that the plan is current.