Step-by-step guide
The 7 principles of HACCP
How to build your HACCP Plan.
Learn how to set up a HACCP-based food safety management system step by step - from prerequisite programmes and hazard analysis to critical control points, monitoring and record-keeping.
Aligned with FSAI guidance
Step by step setup
Suits any food business
CPD accredited
Three foundations first
A good HACCP Plan starts with strong foundations.
Three simple foundations that every effective HACCP Plan in an Irish food business is built on.
- Strong prerequisite programmes before you start
- A clear hazard analysis of every process step
- Monitored critical control points with records
Full course price
€35 · 45 minutes
Step by step
The HACCP Plan build sequence.
Follow these steps to build a food safety management system that meets EC Regulation 852/2004 and S.I. No. 369/2006.
01
Put Prerequisite Programmes in Place
Get the foundations right first: cleaning and disinfection, pest control, personal hygiene, supplier and delivery control, waste management and staff training. A HACCP Plan only works on top of strong PRPs.
02
Conduct a Hazard Analysis
Map every step of your process and identify the hazards: biological (bacteria), chemical (cleaning agents), physical (glass, metal) and allergens. This is Principle 1 of HACCP.
03
Identify the Critical Control Points
Find the steps where control is essential to keep food safe - typically cooking, chilling, hot-holding and reheating. These are your CCPs (Principle 2).
04
Set Critical Limits and Monitor
Set a measurable limit for each CCP, such as a 75C core cooking temperature, and decide how, when and who checks it (Principles 3 and 4).
05
Decide Corrective Actions
Agree in advance what to do when a limit is not met - for example continue cooking or reject a delivery - so unsafe food never reaches the customer (Principle 5).
06
Verify and Keep Records
Review that the system works and keep the monitoring records that prove it (Principles 6 and 7). Good records are your evidence for an environmental health inspection.
Why a HACCP Plan matters
A HACCP Plan turns food safety from something you hope is happening into something you can prove. Instead of relying on memory or good intentions, it sets out exactly where the risks are, how you control them, and what you do when something goes wrong. Small, consistent checks make the difference between safe food and a foodborne illness outbreak.
Most food poisoning cases in Ireland are preventable. FSAI guidance shows that the same hazards - poor temperature control, cross-contamination and weak hygiene - cause the majority of incidents. That is why the law applies to every food business, from a busy restaurant to a small cafe or a care home kitchen.
Poor temperature control is one of the single most common causes of foodborne illness in Ireland. If a critical limit is not met, follow your corrective action - never serve food you are unsure about. Always.
Key HACCP Plan principles
Build on strong prerequisite programmes
Prerequisite programmes are the everyday good-practice basics your HACCP Plan depends on. Without them, even a well-written plan will fail.
- Cleaning and disinfection schedules that are followed and recorded
- Pest control, waste management and structural maintenance
- Personal hygiene, handwashing and fitness-to-work rules
- Approved suppliers and checks on every delivery
Control your critical control points
A critical control point is a step where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a hazard to a safe level. Most kitchens have only a handful, so focus your effort there.
- Cooking food to a safe core temperature, such as 75C
- Cooling and chilling cooked food quickly through the danger zone
- Hot-holding food above 63C until it is served
- Reheating food thoroughly only once
Monitor, correct and record
A HACCP Plan is only as good as the checks behind it. Monitoring and records show your system is working and protect your business if questions are ever raised.
- Check each critical control point at the frequency set in your plan
- If a critical limit is not met, follow the corrective action immediately
- Record what you checked, the result, and any action taken
- Review your plan whenever your menu, process or supplier changes
FAQs
HACCP Plan questions.
Quick answers to the most common questions about setting up a HACCP Plan in Ireland.
What is a HACCP Plan?
A HACCP Plan is a written food safety management system. It identifies the food safety hazards in your business, pinpoints the critical control points where those hazards must be controlled, sets measurable limits, and records how you monitor, correct and verify each step.
How many principles of HACCP are there?
There are 7 principles of HACCP: conduct a hazard analysis, identify the critical control points, set critical limits, monitor each CCP, decide corrective actions, verify the system works, and keep records and documentation.
Do I legally need a HACCP Plan in Ireland?
Yes. Under EC Regulation 852/2004 and S.I. No. 369/2006, food businesses in Ireland must put in place, implement and maintain a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP. The FSAI and the HSE Environmental Health Service enforce this requirement.
What are prerequisite programmes?
Prerequisite programmes (PRPs) are the everyday good-practice foundations your HACCP Plan is built on - cleaning and disinfection, pest control, personal hygiene, supplier and delivery control, waste management and staff training. Without strong PRPs in place, a HACCP Plan cannot work.
Learn how to build your HACCP Plan.
Our full course covers every part of a food safety management system - prerequisite programmes, hazard analysis, critical control points, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification and record-keeping.
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Renewing? Use our fast HACCP Refresher. Looking for formally recognised training? See our HACCP FSAI page. Need the basics first? Start with what HACCP actually is and the HACCP risk assessment.
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