How to Write a HACCP Plan

How to Write a HACCP Plan

If you’re running a café or takeaway and need to create a HACCP plan, this guide explains it clearly and practically. Learn how to build a compliant food safety management system using simple steps and digital tools.

Table of Contents

What is a HACCP plan?

A HACCP plan is a written system that shows how you control food safety risks in your business. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point.

In simple terms, it means:

  • Identifying what could make food unsafe
  • Putting controls in place
  • Checking those controls work
  • Keeping records

If you cook chicken, cool sauces, reheat curries or prepare sandwiches, you already manage risks every day. A HACCP plan just documents how you do it.

For small cafés and takeaways, this doesn’t need to be complicated. It needs to reflect what actually happens in your kitchen.

Under UK food hygiene law, all food businesses must have a food safety management system based on HACCP principles.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) makes it clear that your system must be:

  • Based on HACCP principles
  • Documented
  • Kept up to date
  • Followed by staff

Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) will check that your written system matches your real working practices.

For many small catering businesses, the Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack is used. Others choose a digital system that keeps everything organised and easier to manage.

Step-by-step: writing your HACCP plan

Here’s how to approach it in a practical way.

1. Describe your business

Start with a short description:

  • Type of business (café, takeaway, mobile unit)
  • Food served (breakfasts, hot meals, baked goods, sandwiches)
  • Service style (eat-in, takeaway, delivery)

This sets the context for your hazards.

2. Map your food processes

Write a simple flow of how food moves through your kitchen. For example:

📦 Delivery → ❄️ Storage → 🔪 Preparation → 🔥 Cooking → ♨️ Hot holding → 🍽️ Service

If you cook and cool food for later use, include cooling and reheating:

🔥 Cooking → 🧊 Cooling → ❄️ Chilled storage → 🔁 Reheating → 🍽️ Service

3. Identify the hazards

At each step, ask: what could go wrong?

Typical café and takeaway hazards include:

  • Undercooked chicken or burgers
  • Cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food
  • Food kept below 63°C on hot hold
  • Fridges running too warm
  • Poor allergen management

Think in terms of biological (bacteria), chemical (cleaning chemicals, allergens) and physical (glass, metal) hazards.

4. Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs)

A CCP is a step where control is essential to make food safe.

In a typical café or takeaway, common CCPs are:

  • Cooking poultry or minced meat
  • Reheating food
  • Hot holding
  • Cooling large batches of food

For example, cooking chicken to at least 75°C is a CCP because it destroys harmful bacteria.

5. Set clear critical limits

These must be measurable.

Examples include:

  • Cooking to 75°C core temperature
  • Hot holding at 63°C or above
  • Chilled storage at 8°C or below (5°C is best practice)

Write these clearly in your plan so staff know exactly what’s required.

6. Decide how you’ll monitor and correct problems

Monitoring could include:

  • Probing cooked food
  • Recording fridge temperatures
  • Checking hot holding units

You also need written corrective actions. For example:

If cooked chicken only reaches 70°C, continue cooking and re-check before serving.

This shows EHOs that you don’t just record issues — you act on them.

What HACCP records do you need?

Your HACCP records should reflect your risks.

Most cafés and takeaways keep:

  • Fridge and freezer temperature logs
  • Cooking temperature checks
  • Hot holding records
  • Cleaning schedules
  • Opening and closing checks

Records don’t have to be excessive. They do need to be consistent and accurate.

Missing records, gaps, or identical entries every day are common issues raised during inspections.

Including allergen management

Allergen control must be built into your HACCP system.

This means:

  • Knowing which of the 14 regulated allergens are in your dishes
  • Preventing cross-contact in storage and preparation
  • Giving accurate allergen information to customers
  • Training staff to handle allergen requests confidently

Failing to manage allergens properly can lead to serious consequences, including prosecution.

Your HACCP plan should clearly explain how allergen risks are controlled in your kitchen.

Common mistakes to avoid

EHOs often see the same problems:

  • HACCP copied but not tailored to the business
  • Staff unaware of critical limits
  • No corrective action recorded
  • Outdated systems after menu changes
  • Poor temperature monitoring

Another common issue is paperwork being completed just before inspection.

A working food safety management system should reflect daily practice, not just inspection preparation.

Consistent systems can also help you improve food hygiene rating outcomes, as inspectors look for evidence of active control.

Making HACCP easier with digital tools

Paper systems can work, but they’re often time-consuming and easy to forget during busy services.

Digital systems allow you to:

Food-Safety.app is a food safety management system for UK catering businesses. It helps structure your HACCP plan, manage daily checks, and keep organised records in one place.

If you’re creating or reviewing your plan, you can also use the AI HACCP Builder, part of the Food-Safety.app resources. It guides you through identifying hazards, mapping your food processes, defining critical control points, and setting practical critical limits tailored to cafés and takeaways. It’s designed to give structured, UK-relevant guidance that you can adapt to your own kitchen operations.

Used alongside your day-to-day checks and digital records, tools like this can make developing and maintaining your HACCP system clearer and more consistent.

Final thoughts

Writing a HACCP plan doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Start with your real processes, identify the key risks, document your controls, and keep reliable records.

A clear, practical system protects your customers and your business. If you’re looking for a simpler way to manage it all, exploring a digital food safety management system like Food-Safety.app — and using its practical resources — could help you stay organised and inspection-ready without adding unnecessary paperwork.

how to write haccp plan cafe food safety management uk

Carl @food-safety.app

One response to “How to Write a HACCP Plan”

  1. How To Train Staff In HACCP Effectively – Digital Food Safety Management System

    […] you’re unsure how your system fits together, it helps to revisit how to write a HACCP plan and connect training directly to your […]