Quick answer
The seven HACCP principles are applied after the business has defined the study, its team, products, intended use and actual process flow. A common 12-step sequence combines five preparatory steps with those seven principles. The sequence helps organise the work; it is not a substitute for evidence about the food and process you actually operate.
Prepare the study before selecting controls
If a team has not agreed what products, customers or process stages it is studying, its hazard decisions may concern the wrong operation. Preparatory work makes the scope clear and checks that the diagram describes what staff actually do.
The FAO GHP and HACCP Toolbox presents the sequence from assembling the team through documentation and record keeping. It provides a technical framework; the business still needs to satisfy its applicable national food-law requirements.
The five preparatory steps
| Step | Work to complete | Useful output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Assemble the team | Bring together the knowledge and authority needed for the study. | Named responsibilities and any specialist knowledge gaps. |
| 2. Describe the product | Identify relevant ingredients, characteristics, packaging and handling. | A current product description. |
| 3. Identify intended use | Consider how the product is used and by whom. | Intended consumers, use and instructions. |
| 4. Construct the flow diagram | Map actual stages, inputs, rework and outputs. | A process diagram within the agreed scope. |
| 5. Confirm the flow on site | Check the diagram against the real operation. | A dated confirmation and corrected diagram. |
Good hygiene foundations and management support must already be effective. MyHACCP groups its preparation into eight stages, including prerequisites and management commitment. Different grouping does not create a different set of seven HACCP principles.
The seven principles in the 12-step sequence
| Step / principle | Main question |
|---|---|
| 6. Principle 1: hazard analysis | Which hazards are significant, why, and what measures can control them? |
| 7. Principle 2: determine CCPs | Where is control essential for the significant hazard? |
| 8. Principle 3: establish critical limits | What justified boundary distinguishes acceptable from unacceptable control at the CCP? |
| 9. Principle 4: monitoring | What is checked, how, when and by whom? |
| 10. Principle 5: corrective action | What happens to the process and affected product if control is lost? |
| 11. Principle 6: validation and verification | What supports the system’s design, and how will its operation be checked? |
| 12. Principle 7: documentation and records | What evidence explains the plan and demonstrates its implementation? |
MyHACCP’s principles guidance explains the connected decisions. Validation should inform control design before relying on a measure; it is not something to postpone until all food has already been produced.
Check the connections between the steps
Illustrative example: a study identifies cooling as relevant to its product but the flow diagram omits an overnight holding stage. Even a well-written monitoring form may then fail to address the whole process. Confirming the flow can reveal the missing stage before the team relies on an incomplete analysis.
Check that each significant hazard has an appropriate control and that each CCP has a justified limit, workable monitoring, corrective action and records. Do not mark every process step as a CCP simply to fill a column. Conversely, a significant hazard cannot be dismissed because the chosen template has no convenient box for it.
Use the sequence as a study checklist
Assign an owner and evidence for each output. Record unresolved questions and seek appropriate expertise before approving decisions that depend on them. Keep the rationale, not just a completed number or tick.
For the implementation detail and an adaptable small-business example, use the existing HACCP plan guide. A review may require returning to an earlier step when an ingredient, process, intended use or other relevant condition changes.
Next steps
- Agree the study boundary and responsible team.
- Complete and confirm the product, intended-use and process information.
- Work through the seven principles with evidence and linked outputs.
- Review unresolved assumptions before authorising implementation.
Read the official practical guidance — Use the current source alongside the procedures for your own business.