Quick answer
Include storage and distribution within the HACCP scope where those activities affect food safety. Map the actual holding, loading, transport and handover routes, identify relevant hazards and define suitable evidence and responses. Do not assume that the absence of a cooking step means there is no HACCP-based management responsibility.
Define the actual storage and distribution scope
MyHACCP scope guidance supports clear boundaries and responsibilities. Identify products, storage conditions, sites, vehicles, outsourced stages and intended use. Distinguish sealed goods from opened, repacked or handled food; the activities can create different hazards.
Include overnight holds, returns, cross-docking, mixed loads and delivery delays where applicable. A contract describing a service does not replace understanding the actual food route.
Map handovers and information
| Stage | Question |
|---|---|
| Receipt | What product identity, condition and relevant history are verified? |
| Storage | How are time/temperature, separation, condition and traceability controlled? |
| Loading/transport | What protects food during staging, movement and delay? |
| Handover | Who accepts the food and receives necessary instructions/evidence? |
| Returns | What history and authority are needed before any further decision? |
Record responsibilities at the boundary between organisations. “The carrier handles it” does not establish what evidence the food business will receive or how a concern is escalated.
Assess hazards and justify controls
MyHACCP product-description guidance links packaging, storage, distribution and intended use with hazard evaluation. Assess the particular food rather than copy one chilled, frozen or ambient profile across every product.
Select controls and monitoring that represent the relevant condition. Air readings, product measurements and time histories answer different questions. Do not classify every storage check as a CCP automatically or invent a universal release limit.
Investigate a delayed or incomplete handover
Illustrative example: a delivery is delayed and the recipient receives only a current vehicle-air reading. Determine what evidence exists for the relevant period, the product condition and the approved control requirements. One acceptable current reading cannot reconstruct a missing history.
Follow the authorised hold/assessment response for uncertainty. Record affected lots and destination, decisions and communication. Avoid letting commercial urgency turn an incomplete record into an unsupported release.
Verify the chain and review changes
Test records, traceability, instrument reliability and actual handovers. Review routes after new products, carriers, storage equipment or delivery patterns. Check that outsourced partners understand changes and provide the required evidence.
Use the existing delivery and traceability guide for practical receiving checks and HACCP review guide for retained decisions. The study should connect operational checks with the reasons and evidence behind them.
Next steps
- Define the actual activities, products and boundaries.
- Map holding, transport, returns and information handovers.
- Select justified controls and representative evidence.
- Assess deviations and verify the chain after changes.
Read the official practical guidance — Use the current source alongside the procedures for your own business.