HACCP Hazard Identification & Analysis Procedure

Build the analysis from defined supporting inputs

Before hazard identification begins, the procedure requires the HACCP Food Safety Team to confirm that the necessary inputs are available and relevant. These include product descriptions, intended use and reasonably foreseeable alternative use information, verified process flow diagrams, supplier information and material specifications, and historical data relevant to product or process risks.

The procedure also requires current prerequisite programmes to be implemented effectively and the analysis scope to be clearly defined across the products and processes under review, with relevant production areas, layouts and zoning identified. Technical or quality management coordinates the activity and supporting information, while department managers and functional leads provide the process, equipment, material and operational detail needed by the team.

Identify reasonably foreseeable hazards at each process step

The procedure requires hazards to be considered at each step in the process flow, including those arising from raw materials, ingredients and packaging; process steps, equipment, utilities and environmental conditions; staff practices and handling activities; cross-contamination; and external threats or supply-chain vulnerabilities.

It also requires the team to consider hazards introduced during processing, hazards that may survive processing or preservation, and hazards that originate at preceding steps or could affect subsequent steps. Where applicable, hazards are categorised as microbiological, chemical, physical, radiological, allergenic, fraud-related or malicious contamination hazards, with identified hazards documented for each process step.

Assess significance using likelihood, severity and evidence

Each identified hazard is analysed to determine whether it is significant – defined by the procedure as reasonably likely to occur at an unacceptable level – and whether control is required. The assessment considers likelihood under normal operating conditions, severity of potential harm and vulnerability of the intended consumer group, together with the potential for microbial survival or multiplication, the presence or formation of toxins, chemicals or foreign bodies, and contamination of raw materials, intermediate product or finished product.

Hazard analysis is required to be evidence-based, consistent and thoroughly documented. Where eliminating a hazard is not practical, the HACCP Food Safety Team must determine and record the justification for the acceptable level of that hazard in the finished product.

Determine whether prerequisite or HACCP-specific controls are needed

For each hazard, the HACCP Food Safety Team evaluates whether existing prerequisite programmes provide sufficient control, whether process-specific measures are required, and whether controls need to be added or modified.

For significant hazards, the procedure requires the team to assess whether one control measure is sufficient or a combination is needed to achieve the necessary prevention, elimination or reduction. Where measures operate together, their collective adequacy and interaction are considered; where control is insufficient, additional controls or changes are identified.

Hazards requiring control are documented with clear justification, linked to specific process steps and supported by evidence. Where a hazard is controlled through prerequisite programmes or other non-CCP measures, the adequacy of that programme is validated and recorded.

Keep decisions traceable and responsive to change

The procedure requires the hazard-analysis record to show that hazards were systematically identified, consistent criteria were applied, decisions and rationale were recorded, outcomes remained aligned with verified process flows, and supporting information was reviewed and retained.

Hazard-analysis outputs feed the development and validation of control measures, monitoring requirements, verification activities and review of prerequisite programmes. The analysis is reviewed at defined HACCP-plan intervals and when changes or new information could affect food safety, including new products, material or supplier changes, equipment or layout changes, incidents, complaints, audit findings, emerging risks, and new scientific or regulatory information.

Responsibility remains with the HACCP Food Safety Team for the analysis and its decisions, supported by technical, operational and functional expertise as required. The requirement to document reviews and outcomes keeps the technical basis for hazard-control decisions visible as the HACCP plan changes.