HACCP Principles

HACCP Principle 1: How to Conduct a Hazard Analysis

Conducting a Thorough Hazard Analysis for Your Food Business

Quick answer

Hazard analysis is the foundation of every HACCP plan. Without a rigorous, honest assessment of what can go wrong at each step of your food operation, every subsequent principle falls apart. Under EC Regulation 852/2004 (retained in UK law post-Brexit), food business operators must identify hazards that need to be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to acceptable levels. This guide walks you through a systematic approach to hazard analysis that satisfies both regulatory requirements and practical kitchen realities.

Every process step must be assessed for biological, chemical, and physical hazards before you can identify CCPs.
Use a risk matrix (likelihood x severity) to determine which hazards are significant and need specific control measures.
Your hazard analysis must be reviewed whenever menus, suppliers, equipment, or processes change.

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Key takeaways

Every process step must be assessed for biological, chemical, and physical hazards before you can identify CCPs.

Use a risk matrix (likelihood x severity) to determine which hazards are significant and need specific control measures.

Your hazard analysis must be reviewed whenever menus, suppliers, equipment, or processes change.

Many hazards are controlled by prerequisite programmes rather than CCPs - document why.

Smaller businesses can use the SFBB framework as a proportionate approach to hazard analysis.

Understanding the Three Hazard Categories

Every hazard in a food operation falls into one of three categories: biological, chemical, or physical. Biological hazards include pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157, and Clostridium perfringens. These are the most common cause of foodborne illness in the UK, with Campylobacter alone responsible for roughly 300,000 cases annually according to the Food Standards Agency. Chemical hazards cover allergens (the 14 declarable allergens under UK food law), cleaning chemical residues, pesticides, and naturally occurring toxins such as solanine in green potatoes or scombrotoxin in improperly stored fish. Physical hazards include foreign bodies like glass fragments, metal shavings from worn equipment, bone fragments, jewellery, and pest debris. When conducting your analysis, list every ingredient, every piece of equipment, and every process step, then systematically ask: which of these three hazard types could be introduced or could increase at this point?

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Building Your Hazard Analysis Worksheet

A hazard analysis worksheet is a structured document that captures your findings for every process step. For each step in your flow diagram (from receiving raw materials through to service), record: the step name, the potential hazards at that step, whether each hazard is biological, chemical, or physical, the likelihood of occurrence (high, medium, low), the severity if it does occur, whether the hazard is significant, and what control measures exist. A common approach is to use a risk matrix where you score likelihood from 1 to 5 and severity from 1 to 5, then multiply them. Any score above a threshold (typically 10 or above) flags the hazard as significant and requiring a control measure. Do not skip steps that seem obvious. Receiving deliveries, for example, carries risks of temperature abuse (biological), allergen cross-contact from shared delivery vehicles (chemical), and damaged packaging allowing contamination (physical). The worksheet should be a living document, reviewed whenever you change suppliers, menus, equipment, or processes.

Common Hazards at Each Process Step

At the receiving stage, key hazards include deliveries arriving above 8°C (the legal maximum for chilled foods in England and Wales under the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations 2013), damaged or pest-contaminated packaging, and missing allergen information from suppliers. During storage, cross-contamination from raw to ready-to-eat foods, temperature fluctuations from overloaded fridges, and pest ingress are primary concerns. In preparation, physical contamination from worn chopping boards, allergen cross-contact from shared surfaces, and bacterial multiplication if food sits in the danger zone (8°C to 63°C) for extended periods are the main risks. At cooking, the hazard is inadequate thermal processing - for example, chicken must reach a core temperature of at least 75°C (or 70°C held for 2 minutes) to eliminate Salmonella and Campylobacter. During cooling, the risk is bacterial growth if food takes too long to pass through the danger zone; best practice is to cool food from 63°C to below 8°C within 90 minutes. At service, holding temperatures (above 63°C for hot food), time limits for ambient display, and allergen communication to customers are the critical hazards.

Evaluating Significance and Control Measures

Not every identified hazard requires a CCP. Many hazards are adequately controlled by prerequisite programmes such as cleaning schedules, pest control contracts, supplier approval, and staff training. The key question is: after applying your existing prerequisite programmes, does a significant hazard remain? If yes, you need a specific control measure, and that control point may be a CCP. For instance, the risk of Listeria monocytogenes in pre-prepared sandwiches stored at chill temperatures is a significant hazard that your general cleaning schedule alone cannot eliminate - you need specific temperature monitoring, shelf-life controls, and potentially environmental monitoring. Document your reasoning clearly. An Environmental Health Officer reviewing your HACCP plan wants to see that you have thought through why certain hazards are or are not significant, not just that you have listed them.

Practical Tips for Hospitality Businesses

For smaller operations such as cafes, pubs, and independent restaurants, the hazard analysis does not need to be a 50-page document. Focus on the hazards that are genuinely relevant to your menu and operation. A cafe that only serves sandwiches, soups, and baked goods has a very different hazard profile from a restaurant doing sous vide cooking. Use your supplier specifications, delivery records, and customer complaint history as data sources. If you have had three complaints about foreign bodies in salads in the past year, that tells you something about your preparation controls. Review your analysis at least annually, whenever your menu changes significantly, when you change supplier, after any food safety incident, and after an inspection by your local authority. The FSA recommends that HACCP plans for smaller businesses can be based on the Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack, which incorporates hazard analysis thinking into its safe methods approach.

What to do next

Create a hazard analysis worksheet

List every process step from your flow diagram and systematically identify biological, chemical, and physical hazards at each one. Score each for likelihood and severity.

Review your supplier specifications

Ensure every supplier provides allergen declarations, temperature records for chilled/frozen deliveries, and relevant certificates (e.g. BRC, SALSA).

Audit your current controls

Walk through your operation from delivery to service and document what controls already exist. Identify gaps where significant hazards are not adequately managed.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Copying a generic hazard analysis from the internet

Instead

Your hazard analysis must be specific to your operation, your menu, your premises, and your processes. A generic template misses site-specific risks.

Mistake

Only considering biological hazards

Instead

Allergen cross-contact (chemical) and foreign body contamination (physical) are equally important and frequently cited in enforcement actions.

Mistake

Treating hazard analysis as a one-off exercise

Instead

It must be a living document. Any change to your menu, suppliers, equipment, or layout should trigger a review.

Frequently asked questions

How detailed does my hazard analysis need to be for a small cafe?

The level of detail should be proportionate to your operation. A small cafe serving a simple menu can use the SFBB safe methods approach, which incorporates hazard analysis principles without requiring a full-scale HACCP study. However, you still need to demonstrate that you have considered the hazards specific to your menu and premises. An EHO will expect you to explain why you do things the way you do.

Do I need to include allergens in my hazard analysis?

Yes. Allergens are classified as chemical hazards under HACCP methodology. Under UK food information regulations (retained from EU FIC 1169/2011), you must declare the 14 specified allergens. Your hazard analysis should identify where allergen cross-contact could occur and what control measures (separate storage, dedicated equipment, staff training, clear labelling) you have in place.

How often should I review my hazard analysis?

At minimum annually, but also after any of these triggers: menu changes, new suppliers, equipment changes, premises alterations, food safety incidents, customer complaints related to food safety, changes in legislation, and after local authority inspections where issues were identified.

What is the difference between a hazard and a risk?

A hazard is something that could cause harm (e.g. Salmonella in raw chicken). A risk is the likelihood and severity of that hazard actually causing harm given your current controls. Your hazard analysis identifies hazards; your risk assessment evaluates the risk after considering existing control measures.

Can I use software to do my hazard analysis?

Yes, HACCP management software can streamline the process significantly by providing structured templates, automated risk scoring, and audit trails. However, the thinking must still be done by someone with food safety knowledge of your specific operation. Software is a tool, not a substitute for expertise.

HACCP Principles