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HACCP

HACCP certification for hazard analysis and critical control points

Independent confirmation that your food safety controls follow the Codex HACCP principles and good hygiene practices.

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A clean stainless-steel food processing line
Valid for
3 years
Surveillance
Years 1 and 2
Verification
Public register

Accredited and empanelled

What is HACCP?

HACCP, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, is a preventive system for food safety. It identifies biological, chemical and physical hazards at each step of a process, determines where control is critical, and sets critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification and records at those points.

Our HACCP certification assesses conformity with the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene, CXC 1-1969 (Rev. 2022). That text sets out good hygiene practices as the foundation, then the seven HACCP principles, applied through twelve steps from assembling the HACCP team to establishing documentation and record keeping.

HACCP certification suits smaller producers, caterers and exporters who need recognised evidence of food safety control without a full management system. Where customers ask for a management system or a GFSI-recognised scheme, ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 is the next step.

Who it is for

  • Small and medium food manufacturers
  • Restaurants, caterers and cloud kitchens
  • Bakeries, dairies and meat or seafood processors
  • Food exporters asked for evidence by importers
  • Food retailers with preparation areas

What sets audit time and cost

Smaller single-site businesses often reach a decision six to ten weeks after application, provided monitoring records cover a representative production period before Stage 2.

  • Number of HACCP plans and product groups
  • Number of production lines and process steps
  • Number of sites and staff
  • High-risk products such as ready-to-eat or chilled foods
  • Shift patterns and seasonal production

Why it matters

What HACCP gives you

  1. 01

    Control where it matters

    Monitoring is concentrated at critical control points instead of spread thinly across every step.

  2. 02

    Accepted by buyers and importers

    A third-party HACCP certificate is a common requirement in supplier approval and export documentation.

  3. 03

    Fewer food safety failures

    Defined critical limits and corrective actions mean deviations are caught and product is held before it ships.

  4. 04

    A starting point for ISO 22000

    A working HACCP plan is the operational core of ISO 22000, so the move to a management system is shorter.

The audit

What our auditors examine

  1. 01

    Good hygiene practices

    Premises, cleaning, personal hygiene, pest control, water quality, allergen management and training, as the base for the HACCP plan.

  2. 02

    Hazard analysis

    A verified flow diagram and hazards identified and assessed for each step, including those controlled by good hygiene practices.

  3. 03

    Critical control points

    How CCPs were determined and whether critical limits are validated and measurable.

  4. 04

    Monitoring and corrective action

    Monitoring records at each CCP, and actions on the process and the affected product when a limit is breached.

  5. 05

    Verification and validation

    Calibration, record review, testing and periodic review of the HACCP plan when products or processes change.

How certification works

Every accredited certificate follows the same three-year cycle, with each step recorded and the result published in our register.

  1. 01

    Application and quote

    Tell us your scope, sites and headcount. We calculate audit time under the accreditation rules and send a fixed quote and audit plan.

  2. 02

    Stage 1 audit

    We review your documented management system, scope and readiness, and agree the Stage 2 plan. Any gaps are reported so you can close them first.

  3. 03

    Stage 2 audit

    Auditors check that the system works in practice: interviews, records and observation across the scope. Nonconformities are raised in writing.

  4. 04

    Certification decision

    Once corrective actions are accepted, a reviewer who did not take part in the audit makes the decision. Your certificate is issued and listed in the public register.

  5. 05

    Surveillance audits

    Shorter audits in the first and second years after certification confirm the system is maintained and improving. The register shows your current status throughout.

  6. 06

    Recertification

    Before the three-year certificate expires, a recertification audit reviews the whole system and renews the certificate for another cycle.

Related standards and audits

Often certified or audited alongside this one, sometimes in a single combined audit.

Industries we audit for

HACCP questions

We audit; we do not consult.

To keep certification independent, we never design, build or fix the systems we audit, and decisions are made by people who did not take part in the audit. Read our impartiality policy.

Plan your HACCP certification

Tell us your scope, sites and timeline. We reply with an audit plan and a fixed quote.

Request a quoteTalk to our team