This lesson covers foods that will and will not support the growth of harmful bacteria, the food temperature danger zone, and proper methods to keep cold foods cold, hot foods hot, and the methods for properly cooling foods for later service to prevent bacteria from multiplying.

For a HACCP system to function effectively, it must be built on a strong foundation of prerequisite programs that set the stage for HACCP and provide on-going support. This lesson gives an overview of the purpose of prerequisite programs, their purpose, and how they relate to HACCP. It also gives an overview of the Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, SSOPs, as they relate to HACCP requirements.

This lesson gives an overview of the common types of chemicals used in food processing. It also gives information about naturally occurring substances and intentionally added chemicals that are associated with foodborne illness. In addition, it gives an overview of the points and types of controls that should be included in a Chemical Control Program.

This lesson gives an overview of control measures previously identified to prevent, eliminate, or reduce food safety hazards and how they are evaluated to determine which will be recognized as critical control points, CCPs.

This lesson give an overview of criteria established for setting critical limits and operating limits for control measures identified at critical control points. It also covers parameters that may be established to signify whether a CCP is “in” or “out” of control.

A deviation from a critical limit for a critical control point will result in an actual or a potential hazard to the consumer. When a deviation occurs, appropriate corrective action must be taken to address the problem. This lesson covers the definition and objective of corrective actions, the options and procedures for taking corrective actions, and recordkeeping and regulatory requirements for corrective actions.

Accurate and complete recordkeeping and documentation are essential for a successful HACCP program. Records are the only way to provide evidence that the HACCP plan is being followed. In other words, if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen. This lesson focuses on the types of records needed in a HACCP system and the recordkeeping procedures for documenting the HACCP plan.

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, or HACCP, focuses on preventing problems that could lead to foodborne illness or injury. HACCP is a management system that is required for meat and poultry products amenable to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection plus seafood and juice products amenable to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection. This lesson provides an overview of the HACCP concept and the advantage of using HACCP over traditional testing methods to control food hazards. It also provides an overview of the origin of the HACCP system, the seven HACCP principles used to develop an effective plan to prevent, eliminate, or reduce food hazards to acceptable levels, and the basic application guidelines necessary for implementing a HACCP plan.

To effectively conduct a hazard analysis, the HACCP team must have information and guidelines for identifying potential physical hazards and for determining if they should be included in the HACCP plan. This lesson gives an overview of the sources and types of materials that can be physical hazards in foods and the regulations regarding physical hazards. It also gives an overview of controls to minimize the potential for physical hazards in food.

Several tasks must be completed before applying the seven HACCP principles to a specific product and process. Failure to properly address these tasks could lead to inadequate design, implementation, and management of the HACCP plan. This lesson covers the skills and responsibilities of the HACCP coordinator, the proper forms and tools needed to develop a HACCP plan, and the preliminary tasks that must be completed before developing the HACCP principles.

After establishing critical limits for the CCPs, the HACCP team must focus on the fourth principle, “Establish Monitoring Procedures.” This lesson focuses on establishing procedures to monitor the CCPs to determine and document whether the critical limits are being met.

After establishing the monitoring procedures, the HACCP team should focus on the fifth principle, “Establish Corrective Actions.” This lesson focuses on establishing appropriate corrective actions that must be taken when a deviation from a Critical Limit occurs. This lesson covers the definition and objective of corrective actions, the options and procedures for taking corrective actions, and recordkeeping and regulatory requirements for corrective actions.

Since 1997, the U.S. food regulatory agencies have begun to require the application of HACCP for individual segments of the food industry. This lesson provides a brief overview of the current regulatory environment for HACCP and the USDA/FSIS and FDA HACCP regulations.