HACCP Certification
Ensure food safety through systematic hazard control with HACCP certification. MSCGlobal is an accredited certification body providing independent, globally recognized HACCP certification throughout Southeast Asia and Australia.
Why Get Certified?
The Benefits of HACCP Certification
HACCP certification demonstrates your systematic approach to food safety hazard control and consumer protection.
- Food Safety Assurance
- Systematically identify and control biological, chemical, and physical food safety hazards at critical control points.
- Regulatory Compliance
- Meet food safety regulatory requirements in many jurisdictions where HACCP is mandatory for food businesses.
- Market Access
- Satisfy customer, retailer, and export market requirements where HACCP certification is required or preferred.
- Prevent Contamination
- Proactively prevent food safety hazards rather than relying on end-product testing to detect problems.
- Reduce Recalls
- Minimize the risk of costly product recalls by controlling hazards at critical points in production.
- Global Recognition
- MSCGlobal's accredited HACCP certification is recognized worldwide by regulators and food industry stakeholders.
- Consumer Protection
- Protect consumers from foodborne illness by ensuring systematic control of food safety hazards.
- Due Diligence
- Demonstrate legal due diligence in food safety management, providing defense against prosecution.
"HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from production to consumption."
Global Standard
HACCP: The Foundation of Food Safety Management
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is the internationally recognized system for managing food safety hazards. Developed by NASA and Pillsbury in the 1960s to ensure food safety for space missions, HACCP is now required by food safety regulations worldwide and forms the foundation of modern food safety management.
HACCP provides a systematic, science-based approach to identifying biological hazards (bacteria, viruses, parasites), chemical hazards (allergens, cleaning chemicals, pesticides), and physical hazards (glass, metal, plastic) that could make food unsafe. By establishing critical control points (CCPs) where these hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels, HACCP ensures food safety throughout production.
From food manufacturing to food service, HACCP principles apply across the entire food industry. The seven HACCP principles provide a proven framework for food safety that has protected consumers for over 50 years.
- Years Since Development
- 50+
- HACCP Principles
- 7
- Countries Using HACCP
- 190+
- Food Chain Coverage
- Full
HACCP Principles
The Seven HACCP Principles
HACCP certification is based on systematic application of these seven foundational principles.
| Clause | Title | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conduct Hazard Analysis | Identify biological, chemical, and physical food safety hazards. |
| 2 | Determine Critical Control Points (CCPs) | Identify points where hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced. |
| 3 | Establish Critical Limits | Set measurable limits at each CCP (e.g., temperature, time, pH). |
| 4 | Establish Monitoring Procedures | Create procedures to verify CCPs are under control. |
| 5 | Establish Corrective Actions | Define actions when monitoring shows CCP not under control. |
| 6 | Establish Verification Procedures | Confirm HACCP system is working effectively. |
| 7 | Establish Documentation | Maintain records of HACCP plan and monitoring. |
Prevention First
Why Prevention Beats End-Product Testing
HACCP is built on a fundamentally different philosophy to traditional quality control. Rather than testing finished products to detect problems after they occur, HACCP identifies where hazards can enter the food chain and establishes controls at those exact points.
This proactive approach means unsafe food is prevented from being produced in the first place, not caught after the fact. Critical Control Points are the steps where this control is applied, and every CCP requires a scientifically validated critical limit, a monitoring procedure, and a documented corrective action.
- Biological hazards.
- Pathogens including Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and Campylobacter. Controlled through cooking temperatures, chilling, and sanitation.
- Chemical hazards.
- Allergens, pesticide residues, cleaning chemical carry-over, and food additives at unsafe levels. Controlled through allergen management, cleaning validation, and supplier controls.
- Physical hazards.
- Glass, metal fragments, bone, plastic, and other foreign objects. Controlled through metal detection, X-ray inspection, sieving, and visual checks.
- Critical limits.
- Every CCP requires a measurable critical limit that separates safe from unsafe, for example, a minimum cooking temperature of 75°C. Limits must be scientifically justified.
Who Needs HACCP
HACCP Certification Across the Food Chain
HACCP applies to any organisation involved in the production, processing, handling, or distribution of food. In many markets it is a legal requirement, not a voluntary choice.
- Food manufacturers and processors
Dairy, meat, seafood, bakery, beverages, packaged goods, and fresh produce operations where biological, chemical, and physical hazards must be systematically controlled.
- Food service and catering
Restaurants, institutional kitchens, aged care facilities, school canteens, and catering companies increasingly need HACCP certification to satisfy contracts with hospitals, government, and large organisations.
- Importers and exporters
Businesses trading food into or out of Australia and Southeast Asia face regulatory and customer pressure to hold accredited HACCP certification as evidence that supply chain food safety is managed.
- Cold chain and logistics
Temperature-controlled transport and storage operators handling perishable goods require HACCP to demonstrate that the cold chain is maintained throughout handling.
- Packaging and ingredient suppliers
Manufacturers of food-contact packaging and suppliers of ingredients, additives, and processing aids use HACCP certification to reassure downstream food producers about input safety.
- Retailers and distributors
Wholesale distributors and retail operators responsible for maintaining food integrity at the point of sale benefit from HACCP certification to demonstrate safe food handling practices.
The Audit
How MSCGlobal Audits Your HACCP System
Our accredited auditors bring expertise in food science, microbiology, and food safety management. The audit is designed to verify that your HACCP system genuinely controls hazards, not just that paperwork is in order.
Auditors observe live production operations to confirm that what is documented reflects what actually happens on the floor. CCP monitoring records are reviewed in detail to confirm controls are consistently applied and corrective actions are followed correctly when deviations occur.
- HACCP plan review.
- Auditors examine the hazard analysis to confirm it is comprehensive and scientifically sound, verify CCPs are correctly identified for all significant hazards, and assess whether critical limits are based on validated evidence.
- Records and monitoring.
- CCP monitoring logs, corrective action records, calibration records, and supplier documentation are all reviewed. Incomplete or inaccurate records are a common audit finding.
- Verification activities.
- Auditors confirm that verification activities, including equipment calibration, product testing, and internal HACCP reviews, are being conducted and documented.
- Ongoing surveillance.
- Annual surveillance audits verify continued system effectiveness and assess any changes to products, processes, or hazards that require updates to the HACCP plan.
Common Questions
HACCP FAQ
Answers to the questions we hear most often about HACCP certification. Ask us anything →
- What is a Critical Control Point?
- A Critical Control Point (CCP) is a step in the food production process where a control measure can prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level. Common CCPs include cooking (kills pathogens), metal detection (removes physical hazards), and chilling (controls microbial growth).
- Learn More
- What is a critical limit?
- A critical limit is the measurable boundary at each CCP that separates safe food from potentially unsafe food. For example, a minimum internal cooking temperature of 75°C or a metal detector sensitivity of 2mm ferrous. Critical limits must be based on validated scientific evidence, not arbitrary figures.
- Learn More
- Is HACCP a legal requirement in Australia?
- Yes. Australian food safety standards under the Food Standards Code require food businesses to have food safety management systems based on HACCP principles. Similar requirements exist across Southeast Asia and in export destinations including the United States, European Union, Japan, and China.
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- What is the difference between HACCP and ISO 22000?
- HACCP is a hazard analysis methodology. ISO 22000 is a full management system standard that embeds HACCP within a broader organisational framework, adding management commitment, internal auditing, documented prerequisite programs, and continual improvement requirements.
- ISO 22000
- What records does HACCP require?
- The HACCP plan itself, CCP monitoring logs, corrective action records when critical limits are exceeded, calibration records for monitoring equipment, and supplier documentation for critical ingredients. Without complete records, a business cannot demonstrate that controls were in place at the time of production.
- Get Certified
- How does the HACCP certification audit work?
- MSCGlobal's auditors review the HACCP plan for scientific soundness, examine CCP monitoring records, observe live production to verify controls match documentation, and interview HACCP team members. Annual surveillance audits follow certification, with full recertification every three years.
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HACCP Certification Across Southeast Asia & Australia
MSCGlobal provides HACCP certification services throughout Southeast Asia and Australia. Our accredited food safety auditors understand HACCP principles, regional food safety regulations, and industry requirements to deliver globally recognized certification.
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