What is the 7th step of HACCP?

The seventh step of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is verification. This step is crucial because it involves confirming that the HACCP plan is being effectively implemented and that it meets the intended goals of food safety. Verification includes activities such as reviewing monitoring records, validating critical limits, and conducting periodic evaluations of the system to ensure that food safety hazards are being effectively controlled.

In the context of HACCP, each step builds on the previous ones to form a comprehensive food safety management system. The verification process helps in identifying any flaws or deficiencies in the plan, ensuring that corrective actions can be taken if necessary. It is about making sure that the processes in place are working correctly to maintain safe food practices.

On the other hand, monitoring focuses on the continuous observation of critical control points, while corrective actions are steps taken when monitoring indicates that a critical limit has not been met. Documentation is the unifying element that records all of the HACCP principles and helps to maintain transparency, but it does not represent a step in the process itself. Therefore, verification distinctly encapsulates the step that ensures the entire system functions effectively to control food safety risks.