The Ultimate Guide to HACCP Certification

Implementing a HACCP based food safety system and gaining HACCP certification can be the gateway to increased business opportunities, demonstrating food safety commitment and ensuring the viability of your food business. In this ultimate guide, find out all you need to know to get your food business HACCP certified and to obtain a HACCP certificate.

What is HACCP Certification?

HACCP Certification is an approval system that recognizes that a food business has developed, documented and implemented systems and procedures in accordance with HACCP. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control point and is an internationally recognized tool to help identify and control food safety hazards that may occur within the food business.

The Benefits of HACCP Certification

There are many benefits of implementing HACCP in your food business and becoming certified.  Besides the obvious benefit to your customers – they don’t get sick from eating your food, there are also several business benefits. The main benefit is the demonstrated commitment to food safety. This tells your customers and the wider community that food safety is a priority and you have control systems in place.

Secondly, by applying HACCP in your food business, you should see more effective use of resources, financial savings and more timely response to food safety problems. Implementing HACCP allows you to identify everything that could go wrong with regards to food safety and then put a strategy in place to prevent it from happening.

Depending on where you are located, it may also be a mandatory or legal requirement that your business has a certified HACCP system in place. It may also provide a basis of due diligence in a court of law and a great way to protect your brand and business reputation.

Finally, HACCP can lead to an increase in business.  For some of your customers, it may be a requirement to have a HACCP based food safety management system in place. For international trade, compliance with the internationally recognized Codex Alimentarius standards will greatly benefit your business opportunities. 

Deciding to become HACCP certified

Before starting on the HACCP certification process it is essential to understand the drivers of wanting to be certified. One of the first questions I ask when a food business contacts me wanting HACCP certification is “why do you want to become HACCP certified?” The majority of the time it is because a new or potential business customer requires it. In other words, you have to have a HACCP certificate to be able to sell your products to them.

The next question I ask is “do you know what HACCP standard you are required to have?” There are multiple HACCP-based certifications out there so it is essential to know this. It may be just Codex HACCP or a more extensive food safety certification standard that is a GFSI recognised scheme. I have previously written about choosing the best food safety certification for your business that outlines a helpful decision tree.

Need help?

A common question that I get asked is “We have a HACCP certificate from one of our team members – Is this the same as HACCP certification?

To put it bluntly – NO. Just because a team member or several employees have completed a course in HACCP and have a HACCP certificate, this does not equate to business HACCP certification. They are two very different things.

HACCP Mentor can help your business become HACCP certified, gain certification to a GFSI recognised scheme or meet retailer / customer requirements e.g. Amazon, Costco, Aldi. Check out our consultancy options to learn more.

For business certification, please follow the steps outlined below.

The HACCP Certification Process

There are many steps in the HACCP certification process and it is not something that is achieved overnight. It takes considerable planning, management commitment and human resources that have been educated in the process of HACCP. Let’s take a look at what the path to certification should look like.

1. Understand the requirements of HACCP

The first step in becoming HACCP certified is to understand the requirements of HACCP. I am a big believer in “to know the rules, you must first read and understand the rules”. It is helpful to complete training in the Principles and Application of HACCP. HACCP Mentor offers this course and has been accredited by the International HACCP Alliance. You may also choose to engage an external food safety consultant if you do not have the expertise in-house.

2. Develop a HACCP Plan

If you are starting from scratch, you will need to develop and implement a HACCP Plan. This plan needs to be specific for your business and the products that you produce. It also needs to address any regulatory requirements for your country of manufacture and any country where you export. After you have implemented your HACCP plan, it is helpful to make sure that it is implemented correctly.

During the development phase, the system scope should be identified. The scope is essentially the areas, products, processes and locations that will be covered by the HACCP plan or the food safety management system. Identifying the scope is also important when you undergo the HACCP audit.

3. Complete a gap analysis

If you already have a HACCP plan in place, I highly suggest completing a gap analysis against your chosen HACCP standard. This will help you to identify anything that you have missed that the HACCP standard requires your business to complete. If you do not feel comfortable doing this analysis, you can engage an external food safety consultant to help you. Alternatively, your HACCP team leader may be able to facilitate this task.

4. Choose a third-party certifying body

HACCP certification is granted by an external of 3rd party certification authority that has auditors with the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake an assessment of the HACCP system or HACCP plan. The food business should always ensure that the external or third-party certification body has the necessary qualifications and accreditation to provide this service.

The easiest way to find a certifying body is to refer to the website of your chosen HACCP standard. Here are some quick links to get you started for BRCGS, SQF and FSSC 22000. I suggest shopping around to get the best quality service at an affordable price based on the needs of your business. Always request a documented quote that outlines ALL expected costs.

5. Undergo the HACCP audit

To gain certification by a reputable certification provider, the food business is required to undergo an audit or assessment of its food safety and HACCP policies and procedures. Your audit may occur in two stages: a document review (which may occur remotely) and an onsite review. If the auditor identifies major issues a follow-up may also be required.

All audits should be undertaken by a competent and qualified food safety auditor. To check the credentials of food safety auditors you can visit Exemplar Global which is a professional body for food auditors. Any of the GFSI recognised standards will also have a list of approved auditors available on their website.

What to expect during the HACCP audit

The aim of the food safety HACCP audit is to check to see if your business complies with the requirements of your chosen HACCP standard. The auditor will do this by:

  • Completing an onsite inspection of your facility.
  • Interviewing relevant staff members to determine their level of understanding
  • Check a sample of food safety / HACCP records generated as part of system implementation
  • Review the HACCP plan and any associated policies, procedures, documents and forms

For example, Codex HACCP requires that a system for monitoring is established for each critical control point (CCP). The auditor would, depending on the type of CCP:

If you are just starting out on this journey, you may be required to have at least 4-8 weeks worth of HACCP records to be able to demonstrate system compliance. Your chosen third-party certification body will be able to provide you with further guidance on this.

When the auditor has completed the audit, they will document any non-conformances observed. You will then have a specified time frame to fix any issues identified. When the auditor and certification body has reviewed your evidence of rectification and found it to be suitable, a HACCP certificate will then generally be issued.

How long does an audit take?

It really depends on the rules that apply to the type of certification you are trying to achieve and also the physical size of the food facility. HACCP audits can take anywhere between 1 day and 5 days depending on the audit scope.

Looking holistically, the entire HACCP certification process can take anywhere between 1 to 12 months when you consider each individual phase of audit criteria/standard selection, learning the rules, development, implementation, audit, review and issuing the HACCP certificate.

What does it cost to gain HACCP certification?

This will depend on the scope of the HACCP food safety system. When budgeting for HACCP certification, costs to be considered include:

  • Developing the HACCP plan
  • Implementing the HACCP plan including ongoing monitoring, validation and system verification
  • Training all food handlers and other relevant staff
  • Customer contractual costs including laboratory testing and increased liability insurance
  • Third-party auditing costs (by your chosen certification body)
  • GFSI recognised standards application and certificate fees
  • Ongoing maintenance of the HACCP plan and food safety management system including re-audit costs

The development of a HACCP based system, in conjunction with a thorough and rigorous certification, can indeed be beneficial to the success and viability of a food business. The cost of HACCP certification can range upwards from $10k per year depending on your system scope and audit criteria.

Get a HACCP Template

HACCP Mentor has developed foundational templates to help you get started. The HACCP Program template provides all the tools and templates required to identify, assess and control food safety, quality and regulatory hazards that may impact the food products that your business handles. This program template includes both HACCP and FSMA Preventive Controls. You also get bonus access to our HACCP Awareness online course to help you gain a better understanding of basic HACCP requirements.

How long is HACCP certification valid?

Your HACCP certificate will be valid for a time frame designated by your chosen third-party certification body. The majority of GFSI recognised standards generally set a certificate expiry date of 12 months, dependent on your audit result or grading. Your HACCP certificate can be revoked at any time if your business is found to breach any certification or regulatory requirements.

The role of continuous improvement

After you have gained HACCP certification the process does not stop there. You will need to continuously maintain, improve, review and update the HACCP system. HACCP standards, food law and customer requirements are always changing so you need to make sure you remain relevant, current and compliant. Refresher training and keeping up-to-date plays a big part in this process. Your third-party certification body will also continue to audit your facility and system on a routine basis.

Are you ready to get started?

HACCP Mentor provides plenty of resources to help you become HACCP certified. Please check out our HACCP online training, HACCP templates or read other free articles ( just like this) to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

46 thoughts on “The Ultimate Guide to HACCP Certification”

  1. Pingback: What is HACCP and Why Does the Food Industry Like Its Principles? - American Halal Foundation: Halal Food Certification USA

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Hey Ryan

      It is bes to check with your local health/food authority about this. It may not be a legal requirement when you are located however it may be a ‘customer’ requirement – so best check with them as well.

      Thanks for the question
      Amanda

  2. Hi,

    I am a manufacturer of food supplements in the UK. We sell products online and recently a large online retailer has asked for a HACCP Certificate.
    My entire workforce is HACCP Trained and Certified, with a special Food Safety Team, Team Leader, etc, – with all requirements fulfilled.
    What is further required for a Business-wide HACCP Certificate?

    1. Hi Vik – If you take a look at the article above it tells you steps you need to take to have your business HACCP certified.

  3. Hi,
    This is Cruz. I want to ask you if a company wants a HACCP certificate,
    Then is it issued for the Company or only to the individual.
    We are looking for a HACCP certificate for company.
    Kindly advice.

    Thank you.

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Hi Cruz

      They are two different things. A business gets HACCP certified and depending on the certification standard, your HACCP team leader and HACCP team will need to have completed HACCP training.

      I hope this helps clear this up for you.

      Amanda

  4. Ejaz Muhammad

    Which standard would apply to manufacture of food packaging material;
    for following products like;
    Ghee buckets
    Eye droppers
    Cosmetic tubes
    Meat industry crates
    Pesticide bottles pet

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Hi Ejaz, the majority of GFSI recognised standards will have a standard for food packaging material. Please refer to each for more information.

  5. Hi
    I have a courier company which transports veggie and processed salads,pasta, coleslaw
    Do I need to have a Haccp certificate
    Thanks
    Neil

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Hi Neil

      Thanks for your question. It will really depend on what your customer and the legal requirements state in your country of operation. I am taking a guess here that you are located in NSW Australia. If so, there are definitely laws around transporting high-risk salad items under refrigeration temperatures. YOu can contact the NSW Food Authority to ascertain if you require the be licenced and have a HACCP certificate.

      1. Hi Amanda,
        Do I need to have HACCP certificate even though I am only doing the labelling on the bottled?(from finished food product)
        regards,
        Manny

        1. Amanda Evans-Lara

          It really depends on your customer / supplier requirements. I suggest checking with them

  6. Hi,
    I have the PCQI certification already and I am about to conduct a HACCP analysis to a hotel. I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I have the following question:
    1. Do I need a third party auditor to get the HACCP certification? If it is so, who would be the third party auditor? Could it be Health Department?
    2. How much should I charge the hotel, if the hotel is requiring me to do 6 different HACCP plans for their food products?

    Any help would be appreciate it. Thank you so much!

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      1. Do I need a third party auditor to get the HACCP certification? If it is so, who would be the third party auditor? Could it be Health Department?

      Normal practice is to gain HACCP certification from a third-party. There are many organisations that do this and it will be really dependent on what you are trying to achieve. Google food safety certification or haccp certification auditors in your area. You can find out more about third-party auditing and certification with the FDA approval list: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/third-party-audits-and-fsma

      2. How much should I charge the hotel, if the hotel is requiring me to do 6 different HACCP plans for their food products?

      That is like asking ‘how long is a piece of string’. It depends on what you think your time and effort is worth. The best way to come up with your price is to consider the amount of time you think it will take to do the job and then apply your hourly rate. Your hourly rate should look to cover your time and any expenses and proportionate overheads.

  7. Hello , my name is Oscar & I’m interested in taking course for my HACCP I work at a meat company in Paramount Ca .. may I please ask how would I go about taking course ?

  8. Curtiaus Williams

    I’m currently a USDA employee… I’m interested in going into the audit branch and would like to set myself apart by already having some certifications under my belt. I’ve seen various course offerings from different sites ranging in price from $125 to $1000 for a HACCP training. Why the enormous range in fee? Are certain HACCP certificates held in higher regard than others? Please help… Any guidance is greatly appreciated! I just want to find the most comprehensive (and affordable) course to complete so that I can show value and knowledge to any audit position I apply for.

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      When it comes to HACCP training – not all are equal but it really depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are looking to upskill and gain a qualification, look for a HACCP course that is accredited against the International HACCP Alliance and provides the gold seal with their certificate. You can ask to see their approval at any time. You can see ours at: https://haccpmentor.com/qualifications/

      As prices are not fixed, it is up to the training provider to set their own price. They may base this on many factors including the length of the course, competition in the market or the value of the information trained.

      Our HACCP Principles and Application course is accredited and recognized globally. You can learn more about the course at: https://haccpmentor.com/product/haccp-principles-and-application-online-training/

  9. I want to open a fast food . so can you please say me the procedure of HACCP and getting certificate on HACCP

  10. I have a food a spices and chilies company/ seafood distribution, what I need to get the HACCP certification.

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      You will need to have a HACCP audit by a 3rd party authority at a minimum.

        1. Hi Vishu

          If you take a look at the post above, that will provide direction on how to obtain HACCP certification. If yo have any specific questions relating to that please let me know.

  11. If I have already completed a HACCP certification training (March 2018) but don’t have the certificate, is there a way to look up your certification?

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      It really depends who you did the initial training with. Did you do it with HACCP Mentor?

  12. Is there a requirement on the types of food manufacturers that can be certified…would manufacturers of protein powders qualify? How about supplements manufacturers?

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Hi Nelson

      yes…there are requirements for different types of food manufacturers. You generally see these as ‘food categories’. Powdered proteins are a category under both SQF and BRCGS. For supplements, you can check with each of the GFSI recognized standards if they are covered. I know that SQF has a supplement category as Food safety Category: 31 – Manufacture of Dietary Supplements. It is in their Manufacturing Edition 81.1 standard.

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Great question Jon! You don’t need to be in a commercial space to receive HACCP certification. As long as you meet all of the requirements mandated by the standard certifying the HACCP program, you will be good to go.

    2. I wana open a fast food .so can you please say me the procedure of getting HACCP and and how to make it certified .

  13. Matthan Ilunga

    I want to open a palm oil manufacturer in africa how do I get the HACCP to audit my company? S

  14. Jessica M Arsenault

    Do company’s in the state of Maine have to be HACCP certified if they are dealing with live product only?

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Hi Jessica, it is best to refer to your local health authority for your business. 3rd party HACCP certification is not generally a legal requirement but more so a customer or trading requirement. Some areas, however, do require HACCP plans to be developed and implemented as part of their food laws.

  15. I am applying for a job that would like me to be HACCP certified as an individual. How do I go about this?

  16. We are software developers and have a temperature sensor and food probe for coolers, frigs, grills, etc. Out of many clients, two have asked if our sensor/probe is HACCP compliant/certified. I understand a food system get certification after an audit. How does a piece of equipment get certified complaint?

    1. Amanda Evans-Lara

      Equipment is not generally HACCP certified as there are no real standards for audit that I am aware of. You would be better off getting the company certified for say ISO 9001 which verifies that your business considers and implement quality management principles and practices.

  17. What is the rate or fee per day to conduct a HACCP Audit?
    What is to be considered if you are traveling to do the audit?
    Your articles has been very informative to me. Thanks much

    1. Hi Debita

      The audit day rate will depend on the actual certification body who is undertaking the audit and I have seen anything from $400US up to $3000.00. The standard that you are being audited against will also affect the cost. A basic HACCP audit will be less expensive than say and audit against a GFSI recognized standard. The best thing to do is get a quote directly from certification bodies in your area.

      Regards….Amanda

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