Quick answer
Assess pathogen hazards using the food, process, environment and intended consumer, supported by reliable current evidence. Identify how a relevant organism could enter, survive, grow or form toxin and which controls address that route. A list of organism names is not a hazard analysis, and one generic cooking or chilling rule cannot answer every product’s risk.
Start with the product, process and consumer
MyHACCP hazard-identification guidance asks the team to consider relevant potential hazards through the actual process. Use the product description, intended use and confirmed flow to define the assessment.
Identify whether the food is raw, ready to eat or intended for further processing. Consider formulation, packaging, storage, shelf life and relevant consumer needs. These facts affect which hazards are credible and how significant they may be.
Explain the mechanism, not just the name
| Question | What the entry should explain |
|---|---|
| Entry | The ingredient, environment or handling route introducing the hazard. |
| Survival | Whether a process is capable of controlling it under actual conditions. |
| Growth/toxin | Whether composition, time, temperature or packaging permits a relevant development. |
| Later exposure | Whether contamination can occur after an earlier control. |
| Consequence/use | How the intended food and consumer affect significance. |
Use authoritative scientific and sector guidance for the actual issue. Do not infer all organisms behave the same way or that killing bacteria necessarily removes a toxin already formed.
Assess significance with evidence
MyHACCP hazard-analysis guidance supports assessing likelihood and severity and recording why hazards need control. If using scores, define them consistently; a multiplication result cannot replace the evidence and judgement behind the entry.
State uncertainty and missing information. A historical absence of positive results may be relevant evidence but does not prove that a hazard is impossible, especially after a product or process change.
Select controls for the mechanism
Illustrative example: a heating step is followed by manual filling and packing. Assess hazards introduced after heating rather than assuming the earlier process controls every later route. Consider hygiene foundations and hazard-specific measures through the full flow.
FAO validation guidance requires evidence that controls can achieve the intended outcome. Use competent microbiological or process support where necessary; do not copy a limit or shelf life from a different formulation.
Connect the assessment with verification and change
Define suitable monitoring, response and verification for the controls selected. End-product testing can support the evidence but is not a replacement for a functioning process. Interpret results with appropriate sampling and method expertise.
Review after changed ingredients, packaging, equipment, use or relevant incident evidence. Use the existing HACCP planning guide for the framework, while keeping organism-specific operational prevention with current relevant guidance.
Next steps
- Describe actual product, process and intended use.
- Explain relevant entry, survival, growth/toxin and exposure routes.
- Assess significance using current evidence and explicit uncertainty.
- Validate controls and review monitoring, testing and changes.
Read the official practical guidance — Use the current source alongside the procedures for your own business.