HACCP consists of 7 principles: which is the first principle?

• A. Establish monitoring requirements
• B. Establish record keeping procedures
• C. Conduct a hazard analysis
• D. Identify critical control points

Answer: (C)

The starting point is conducting a hazard analysis. This means systematically identifying all potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards that could occur at each step of the process and judging how significant they are. This step is essential because you can’t determine where to apply controls, or what those controls should be, without first knowing what could go wrong and how serious it could be. Once hazards are identified, you determine the critical control points to prevent or reduce those hazards, then set critical limits, establish monitoring procedures, plan corrective actions, verify the system, and keep records. The other actions mentioned (monitoring, record-keeping, and identifying critical control points) come in later in the sequence and depend on having completed the hazard analysis first.