1. Conduct a hazard analysis
Identify potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards; evaluate their likelihood and severity; and determine which require control.
2. Determine critical control points
Identify steps where control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level.
3. Establish critical limits
Set scientifically or technically supportable boundaries that separate acceptable operation from loss of control.
4. Establish monitoring procedures
Define what will be measured or observed, how, when, where, and by whom so loss of control can be detected in time.
5. Establish corrective actions
Predetermine how control will be restored, how affected product will be evaluated or controlled, and how recurrence will be prevented.
6. Establish verification procedures
Confirm that the plan is scientifically valid and that monitoring, corrective action, calibration, records, and the overall system are working.
7. Establish recordkeeping
Maintain the plan, supporting documentation, monitoring records, corrective actions, and verification evidence needed to demonstrate control.
The principles are connected
A weak hazard analysis produces the wrong CCP decisions. An unsupported critical limit makes monitoring less meaningful. A vague corrective action leaves product disposition to improvisation. Verification cannot rescue a plan whose core scientific assumptions are wrong. Strong HACCP work treats the seven principles as one connected system.