HACCP for Small Restaurants: Simple Step-by-Step Guide

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a legal requirement for all food businesses in the UK under Regulation (EC) 852/2004, retained as UK assimilated law after Brexit. Despite the technical name, a HACCP plan for a small restaurant doesn't need to be complicated. Here's how to create one that works — and satisfies an EHO.

What is HACCP?

HACCP is a systematic approach to identifying, evaluating and controlling food safety hazards. Instead of inspecting finished products for problems, HACCP focuses on preventing hazards from occurring in the first place.

A hazard in food safety context means anything that could cause harm: bacteria in undercooked chicken, allergens mislabelled, physical contaminants like glass fragments, or chemical contaminants from cleaning products.

Do I Really Need a HACCP Plan?

Yes. Under UK food law, all food businesses must:

"put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP principles" — Regulation (EC) 852/2004, Article 5

For small businesses, the FSA's Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) pack serves as a simplified HACCP-based system. You can use the SFBB pack as your documented food safety management system — it covers the same principles in a more accessible format.

For larger operations or businesses seeking a 5-star EHO rating, a fuller HACCP plan is expected.

The 7 HACCP Principles

Principle 1: Conduct a Hazard Analysis

List every step in your food operation, from receiving deliveries through to serving food. For each step, identify hazards that could occur:

Biological hazards: Bacteria (Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria), viruses, parasites

Chemical hazards: Cleaning chemical contamination, pesticide residues, allergens

Physical hazards: Glass, metal, bone fragments, packaging material

Allergenic hazards: Cross-contact from the 14 UK allergens

Example process steps and hazards for a small restaurant:

Delivery — Bacterial growth if temperature not checked; wrong product received
Cold storage — Bacterial growth if fridge above 5°C; cross-contamination from raw to ready-to-eat
Defrosting — Bacterial growth if defrosted at room temperature
Preparation — Cross-contamination from raw to ready-to-eat; allergen cross-contact
Cooking — Survival of pathogens if undercooked
Cooling — Bacterial growth if not cooled within 90 minutes
Reheating — Survival of pathogens if not reheated to 75°C
Service — Temperature abuse during holding; allergen error at point of service

Principle 2: Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs)

A Critical Control Point is a step where control is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard. Not every process step is a CCP — only those where failure could cause harm and where control can be applied.

Common CCPs in a restaurant kitchen:

Cooking temperature — the most important CCP. Cooking destroys pathogens if sufficient temperature is reached.
Chilling/cooling — rapid cooling prevents bacteria from multiplying.
Cold storage temperature — consistent refrigeration prevents bacterial growth.
Reheating temperature — thorough reheating destroys pathogens that may have grown during storage.

Principle 3: Establish Critical Limits

For each CCP, set measurable limits that must be met:

Cooking: minimum core temperature 75°C (most foods per UK FSA standard)
Cooling: maximum time to cool to 8°C is 90 minutes
Cold storage: maximum fridge temperature 5°C
Freezer storage: maximum freezer temperature -18°C
Reheating: minimum core temperature 75°C
Hot holding: minimum holding temperature 63°C

Principle 4: Establish Monitoring Procedures

For each CCP, define how you will monitor that the critical limit is being met:

Who will take the measurement
What will be measured (e.g., core temperature of cooked chicken)
When measurements will be taken (e.g., every batch cooked)
How it will be recorded (e.g., cooking temperature log with date, time, food item, temperature, staff initials)

Principle 5: Establish Corrective Actions

Define what staff must do when a critical limit is not met:

Cooking temperature below 75°C: Continue cooking until 75°C is reached. If not achievable (e.g., food burning), discard. Record the incident as a corrective action.

Fridge above 5°C: Check contents. Move high-risk foods to alternative chilled storage. Contact equipment engineer. Record corrective action and resolve within 24 hours.

Food not cooled within 90 minutes: Discard food. Do not use for service. Record corrective action and investigate reason for slow cooling.

Document every corrective action taken — this demonstrates that your food safety management system is functioning even when things go wrong.

Principle 6: Establish Verification Procedures

Verification checks that your HACCP system is working as intended:

Calibrate probes monthly against ice slurry (target 0°C plus or minus 1°C)
Review temperature records weekly — check for gaps or out-of-range readings
Internal audit quarterly — review all HACCP documents and records
HACCP plan review annually — update whenever processes, equipment or menu changes
Staff training review annually — ensure all staff have current certificates

Principle 7: Establish Documentation and Record-Keeping

HACCP must be documented. Records are your evidence that the system is working. EHOs will ask to see:

The written HACCP plan itself
Temperature monitoring records (daily fridge logs, cooking temps)
Corrective action records
Calibration records
Staff training records
HACCP plan review records

Records must be kept for a minimum of 2 years for most food businesses (longer for some product types).

Practical Tips for Small Restaurants

Start with the SFBB pack: The FSA provides a free Safer Food Better Business pack tailored to different business types (restaurants, caterers, childminders, etc.). It covers the same HACCP principles in a simplified format. Download it from the FSA website.

Keep it proportionate: A small restaurant doesn't need the same HACCP documentation as a food manufacturer. Your plan should be thorough but practical. EHOs will assess whether it's appropriate for your scale of operation.

Review it regularly: Your HACCP plan must be reviewed whenever you introduce new menu items, change processes, install new equipment, or receive EHO feedback. At minimum, review annually and sign off the date.

Train your team: Every member of staff who handles food should understand the basics of HACCP — what the CCPs are, what the critical limits are, and what to do when limits aren't met. Regular training and a team briefing when the plan is reviewed helps embed the system.

Use digital records: Paper records get lost, damaged, or filled in retrospectively. Digital temperature logs with timestamps give you an unimpeachable audit trail. If your fridge probe uploads readings automatically, even better.

A well-maintained HACCP plan is your best defence in an EHO inspection. It demonstrates that you take food safety seriously, that you have a system, and that when things go wrong, you deal with them properly. That's exactly what an EHO needs to see to award a 5-star rating.