HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points)

HACCP, which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, is a systematic food safety management system that identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards that are significant to food safety. Originally developed in the 1960s for NASA to ensure safe food for space missions, HACCP has become the internationally recognized standard for managing food safety risks throughout the supply chain.

The HACCP system is built on seven core principles: conducting a hazard analysis, determining critical control points (CCPs), establishing critical limits for each CCP, establishing monitoring procedures, establishing corrective actions, establishing verification procedures, and establishing record-keeping and documentation. In cold chain logistics, temperature control during transportation is typically identified as a critical control point, with specific temperature limits established for each product type.

For refrigerated transportation, HACCP principles require that shippers and carriers identify the specific temperature hazards associated with each product, establish the acceptable temperature range as a critical limit, monitor temperatures continuously during transit, define corrective actions for temperature excursions, verify that monitoring systems are working correctly, and maintain complete records of all temperature data and any corrective actions taken.

While HACCP is mandatory for certain food categories such as meat, poultry, seafood, and juice under USDA and FDA regulations, many companies adopt HACCP principles voluntarily across their entire product portfolio as a best practice for food safety management. Third-party certifications based on HACCP principles, such as SQF and BRC, are increasingly required by major retailers and foodservice companies.