HACCP Food Safety Team Procedure
Part of Food Industry Hub’s FSQMS Policies and Procedures Suite.
The HACCP – Food Safety Team Procedure forms part of the Food Industry Hub FSQMS Policies and Procedures Suite.
It defines how senior management establishes, resources and maintains a competent, multi-disciplinary HACCP Food Safety Team to develop and manage the HACCP-based food safety plan.
The procedure makes the team’s structure, composition and competence demonstrable, while also defining the scope the team is responsible for managing. Responsibilities are allocated from senior management and technical or quality management through to the team leader and individual team members.
Build the HACCP team around the expertise the plan requires
Senior management is responsible for establishing and maintaining the HACCP Food Safety Team, appointing a suitably competent team leader and ensuring that appropriate functions and expertise are represented. The procedure also requires sufficient time, information and resources to be made available for the team to carry out its responsibilities.
Technical or quality management coordinates formation and maintenance of the team. Membership is multi-disciplinary and can include quality assurance or technical management, production operations and, where appropriate, other relevant functions such as engineering and hygiene.
Membership, roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined and recorded on a current team membership record authorised by senior management. That provides a documented basis for showing who contributes to the HACCP process and where responsibility sits.
Define competence for the team leader and team members
The HACCP Food Safety Team Leader is required to have in-depth knowledge of HACCP principles and their practical application, together with competence, experience and training appropriate to the products and processes covered. Applicable legal or customer requirements for HACCP training must also be met.
Evidence of the team leader’s competence may include formal training certificates, relevant experience and performance in HACCP-related activities. The leader is also responsible for ensuring that team members understand their roles and contribution to the HACCP system.
Team members require HACCP knowledge appropriate to their role and relevant knowledge and experience of the products, processes and associated hazards within their areas of responsibility. Their specific technical or operational expertise is used to support hazard analysis and control measure selection.
Competence requirements are defined and training is provided where gaps are identified. Training and competence records are maintained, giving technical and quality teams a clear evidence base for the capability of the people participating in the HACCP plan.
Use external expertise without transferring responsibility
Where all of the required expertise is not available in-house, the procedure allows external expertise to support the HACCP process. The HACCP Food Safety Team Leader identifies where that support is required and coordinates its use.
External expertise must be controlled and documented, while responsibility for the HACCP food safety plan remains with the organisation. This keeps specialist support distinct from ownership of the site’s HACCP plan.
Define and maintain the scope of the HACCP food safety plan
Each HACCP food safety plan must have a defined and documented scope. As applicable, that scope covers the products or product groups included, the processes, process steps and activities from receipt through to dispatch, relevant production areas or risk zones, and any limitations or exclusions with justification.
Technical or quality management is responsible for ensuring that the scope is defined, documented and kept up to date. The defined scope is reviewed and updated when changes to products or processes may affect the HACCP food safety plan.
By making the plan boundary explicit, the procedure gives the HACCP Food Safety Team a clear reference for the products, processes and areas its work is intended to cover.
Keep team capability and HACCP scope demonstrable
Personnel appointed as the HACCP Food Safety Team Leader or as team members receive training appropriate to their role, covering the HACCP principles relevant to development and management of the food safety plan and their responsibilities within the team. Training is recorded and reviewed for ongoing suitability.
The procedure’s records can include current HACCP Food Safety Team membership records, competence and training records for the team leader and team members, and defined HACCP food safety plan scope statements. Together, these records support a clear, documented picture of who is responsible, what competence is available and what the HACCP plan covers.
Within the wider FSQMS, the procedure provides the team structure, competence requirements and defined scope needed to support development and management of the HACCP-based food safety plan.