HACCP Process Flow Diagram Procedure

Map the full process needed for hazard analysis

The procedure requires a process flow diagram for each product, product category or process within scope. Each diagram is expected to set out the food process operation in a clear, logical form that production and technical personnel can understand.

Where relevant, the mapped flow includes the premises and equipment layout, raw materials, utilities and other contact materials, the sequence and interaction of process steps, outsourced or subcontracted work, process delays or holding steps, rework and recycling, applicable segregation between low-risk, high-risk and high-care areas, and finished products, intermediate products, by-products and waste streams.

Make process steps, inputs and alternative routes visible

The procedure defines the level of detail expected in the diagram. Distinct process steps are represented separately, with inputs such as raw materials, water, gases and packaging, and outputs such as intermediates, waste or rework, shown where they are relevant to hazard analysis.

Outsourced, subcontracted or off-site processing that affects food safety is clearly indicated, while parallel lines and alternative routes are represented where processes diverge or converge. Where products share an identical process, a single diagram may be used provided it is clearly labelled for the product group it covers.

Keep controlled diagrams aligned with process change

Process flow diagrams are maintained as controlled documents with a document reference, title and revision status. Current versions are kept available for use in hazard analysis, and revisions are documented and approved in line with document control requirements.

The procedure requires review at defined intervals and when the HACCP Food Safety Team is notified of changes to equipment or layout, raw materials or utilities that affect process steps, the sequence or interaction of the process, or outsourced and subcontracted activities. This keeps maintenance of the diagram tied to changes that can alter the represented process.

Define responsibility for construction, maintenance and change information

Responsibility is allocated across the functions that create, support and maintain the diagrams. Senior management provides the resources, time and support needed and ensures planned changes to production processes, equipment, layout or outsourcing are communicated to the HACCP Food Safety Team.

Technical or quality management coordinates development and maintenance, ensures diagrams remain controlled and updated, and provides technical input on processes, equipment and layouts. The HACCP Food Safety Team constructs the diagrams, ensures the relevant steps and elements for hazard analysis are included, and reviews them at defined intervals and when process changes are notified.

Support the diagram with competence and controlled evidence

Personnel involved in constructing and maintaining process flow diagrams receive role-appropriate training covering the purpose of the diagrams within HACCP, the level of detail needed for hazard analysis, the relationship between process steps, utilities and product flows, and the document-control expectations that apply to creation, review and revision.

The procedure also identifies the records that support control of the process, including approved flow diagrams, review and revision records, and supporting information used when diagrams are constructed or revised.

A defined construction step within the HACCP framework

Within the wider FSQMS, this procedure establishes how process flow diagrams are constructed and maintained as a controlled input to hazard analysis. Verification and on-site confirmation of those diagrams are addressed separately, preserving a clear distinction between building the documented flow and verifying it against actual operations.