HACCP in 30 minutes: implementing a system in a small café

The word ‘HACCP’ may sound intimidating, but the idea is simple: identify hazards in your operation, assess them, and keep them under control. For a 20-seat coffee shop, this can fit into one evening and one table.

The seven principles

1. Hazard analysis: biological (Salmonella, E. coli), chemical (cleaning-agent residue), and physical (glass shards, metal).
2. Identify critical control points (CCPs)—where a hazard can be eliminated or controlled.
3. Set critical limits—for example, a hot dish must be at least 65 °C when served.
4. Monitor CCPs: how, by whom, and how often measurements are taken.
5. Define corrective actions: what to do if a limit is exceeded.
6. Verify regularly that the system is working.
7. Keep records: journals, protocols, and plans.

Typical CCPs in food service

• Receiving raw ingredients: chilled fish at no more than +2 °C; frozen fish at no more than −18 °C.
• Storage: refrigerator at 0 to +4 °C; freezer at no more than −18 °C.
• Heat treatment: the center of the product reaches at least 75 °C for no less than 5 minutes.
• Cooling cooked food: from +65 °C to +10 °C within no more than 2 hours.
• Serving: hot food at 65 °C or above; cold food at +14 °C or below.

Where to start

If you have never written a HACCP plan, start by mapping your processes. On one sheet of A4 paper, draw each stage: receiving → storage → preparation → serving → disposal. At every stage, ask, ‘What could go wrong?’ You will have the first draft of your hazard analysis.

How WeSetup helps

The expanded plan includes audit, CAPA, traceability, and metal-detection journals. The templates follow formats accepted by Rosselkhoznadzor and most chain buyers; you only need to enter values and signatures.