How to Create a HACCP Plan for a Farm Shop or Food Business
A plain-English guide to writing a HACCP food safety plan — what it is, why it's a legal requirement, and how to work through all seven principles with practical examples for farm shops, direct meat sales, egg producers and glamping food operations.
Published 20 May 2026 · 12 min read
HACCP is a legal requirement — not optional
Any business preparing, processing or selling food to the public in the UK must implement HACCP-based food safety procedures under Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. This applies to farm shops, direct meat sales, egg packing, jam and preserve production, and glamping operators serving food to guests. You must also register with your local authority environmental health department at least 28 days before starting to trade.
If you are setting up a farm shop, starting to sell your own meat direct, packing eggs for retail, or offering food to glamping guests, HACCP is the framework you need to understand. The name sounds intimidating — Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — but the underlying concept is straightforward: identify what could go wrong with your food, and put reliable controls in place to make sure it does not.
HACCP was developed for the space programme in the 1960s (NASA needed to ensure food would not cause illness in zero gravity) and is now the international standard for food safety management. In the UK it is required by law for all food business operators. The seven principles that underpin it were established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission — the international food standards body — and are the same whether you are running a global food manufacturer or a six-hen flock selling eggs from a honesty box.
What is a Food Hazard?
A hazard is anything in your food that has the potential to cause harm to the person eating it. Food safety hazards fall into three categories, and your HACCP plan must consider all three.
Biological Hazards
| Hazard | Source | Typical Control |
|---|---|---|
| E. coli / Salmonella | Raw meat, unpasteurised milk, unwashed veg | Thorough cooking to 75°C core temp, separation from RTE foods |
| Listeria monocytogenes | Ready-to-eat chilled products, soft cheese, smoked fish | Temperature control <5°C, use-by dates, cleaning schedule |
| Campylobacter | Raw poultry — most common foodborne illness in UK | Cooking to 75°C, preventing cross-contamination from raw poultry |
| Norovirus / Hepatitis A | Handlers with illness, contaminated water | Hand hygiene, sick handler exclusion policy |
Chemical Hazards
| Hazard | Source | Typical Control |
|---|---|---|
| Pesticide residue | Unwashed fruit and vegetables | Washing protocols, sourcing from approved suppliers with records |
| Cleaning product residue | Inadequate rinsing after cleaning | Correct dilution, contact time, thorough rinsing, rinse records |
| Allergen cross-contact | Shared equipment, undeclared ingredients | Allergen management plan, separate equipment, clear labelling |
| Veterinary drug residue | Meat from animals within withdrawal period | Supplier assurance, withdrawal period records from farm |
Physical Hazards
| Hazard | Source | Typical Control |
|---|---|---|
| Bone fragments | Butchery — especially poultry and pork | Visual inspection, trained staff, metal detection where feasible |
| Metal fragments | Worn equipment, blades, wire | Equipment maintenance schedule, visual inspection, magnet on lines |
| Glass | Broken jars, light covers, bottles | No glass policy in prep areas, glass breakage procedure |
| Pest contamination | Rodents, insects — droppings, hair, larvae | Pest control contract, proofing, daily checks, cleaning records |
The Seven HACCP Principles — Explained
Work through these in order. Each principle builds on the one before. Do not skip to the monitoring records before you have identified your CCPs.
Conduct a Hazard Analysis
List every step in your process from goods-in to customer sale. For each step, identify all potential biological, chemical and physical hazards. Ask: what could go wrong here and cause harm? Write them all down — even if you think they're unlikely. You will assess their significance in the next step.
Farm example
A farm shop preparing cooked pies would list steps including: raw ingredient delivery → cold storage → preparation → cooking → cooling → chilled display → sale. Hazards at the cooking step include undercooking (biological), wrong recipe (chemical — allergens), and equipment contamination (physical).
Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs)
A Critical Control Point is a step where a control measure can be applied that is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard, or reduce it to an acceptable level. Use the CCP decision tree: Can you control the hazard at this step? If it is not controlled here, will it be controlled at a later step? The last step where you can reliably control a hazard is your CCP.
Farm example
For a farm shop selling cooked meats, CCPs typically include: cooking temperature (last chance to kill pathogens), chilled storage temperature (controls pathogen growth), and allergen labelling check (last control before sale).
Establish Critical Limits
For each CCP, set measurable critical limits — the boundary between safe and potentially unsafe. These must be specific, measurable and based on scientific evidence or legal requirements. If a critical limit is breached, the product is at risk and corrective action is required.
Farm example
Cooking: core temperature must reach 75°C (or 70°C for 2 minutes). Chilled storage: fridge must remain below 5°C at all times. Allergen check: declaration must be visible and accurate before products go on display.
Establish a Monitoring System
Define how you will check each CCP is being controlled, how often, and who is responsible. Monitoring must happen at a frequency that gives you confidence the process is under control. Records must be kept — monitoring without records is not HACCP.
Farm example
Cook temperature: probe every batch, record on a cooking log with time, product, probe reading and operator signature. Fridge temperature: minimum/maximum thermometer checked and recorded every morning before opening. Allergen check: initialled on product record by person packing.
Establish Corrective Actions
Define in advance what you will do if a critical limit is breached. Who decides? What happens to the product? How do you fix the process? Having pre-agreed corrective actions prevents panic decisions in the moment and ensures the response is consistent and documented.
Farm example
If core temperature did not reach 75°C: return to oven for further cooking, re-probe, record. If fridge temperature found above 8°C: check all products, assess shelf life, move stock, call engineer, do not sell products that have been above 8°C for unknown period. Document everything.
Establish Verification Procedures
Verification confirms that the HACCP plan is working as intended and that the system as a whole is controlling food safety. This is separate from monitoring — monitoring is checking CCPs day to day; verification checks that the monitoring and corrective actions are effective over time.
Farm example
Quarterly review of all monitoring records to check they are being completed correctly. Annual review of the HACCP plan itself whenever the menu, process or suppliers change. Occasional microbiological testing of finished products to confirm pathogens are being controlled. External audit by an EHO or third-party assessor.
Establish Documentation and Record Keeping
HACCP must be documented. This means: your written HACCP plan (the hazard analysis and CCP tables), your monitoring records (temperature logs, allergen checks, cleaning records), your corrective action records, and your verification records. Records must be kept for a minimum of 2 years for most food businesses — longer for some product types.
Farm example
Documentation does not need to be complex. A simple fridge temperature log, a daily opening checklist, and a cooking temperature record are enough for a small farm shop operation. They must be completed consistently and signed off. An Environmental Health Officer will ask to see these records.
Your HACCP Table — What It Should Look Like
The core document in any HACCP plan is a table listing each CCP, its critical limit, how it is monitored, and what happens when the limit is breached. Here is a simplified example for a farm shop selling cooked pies and chilled raw meat:
| CCP | Hazard | Critical Limit | Monitoring | Corrective Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking (pies) | Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli | Core ≥75°C | Probe every batch, log time + temp + operator | Return to oven, re-probe, do not sell until limit met, record |
| Chilled display | Pathogen growth | Fridge <5°C at all times | Min/max thermometer — check and record each morning | Remove stock, investigate, do not sell if duration above limit unknown |
| Allergen labelling | Allergen cross-contact / undeclared allergens | All 14 allergens declared correctly before sale | Check label against recipe before display — initialled sign-off | Remove from sale, correct label, re-check, document |
| Raw/cooked separation | Cross-contamination (biological) | Zero contact between raw and ready-to-eat at all times | Visual check — separate prep areas, colour-coded boards, daily check | Remove product, clean and disinfect, investigate root cause, document |
This is a simplified example. Your HACCP plan should reflect the specific hazards and processes in your operation.
Records You Must Keep
The most common reason a small food business fails an EHO inspection is not that their food safety system is bad — it is that they have no records to prove it is working. An EHO cannot see what happened yesterday without a record. Keep these as a minimum:
Fridge & freezer temperature logs
Check and record min/max temperature every morning before opening. Date, reading, initials.
Cooking temperature records
Every batch: product name, time, probe reading, operator initials. File by date.
Cleaning schedule
Daily, weekly and periodic tasks with completion sign-off. Dated.
Allergen management records
Recipe allergen matrix, labelling check before products go on display.
Supplier records
Who you buy from, what assurances they provide (specs, certificates).
Staff training records
Date, name, what was covered. Food hygiene certificate copies.
Corrective action records
Every time a critical limit is breached — what happened, what you did, who decided.
HACCP plan review records
Date of annual review, what changed, who conducted it.
Records must be kept for a minimum of two years. An EHO can request these at any time — consistent, signed records are your evidence that the system is working.
Where to Start — Free UK Resources
FSA myHACCP tool
Visit →Free online tool from the Food Standards Agency — walks you through building a HACCP plan step by step. Produces a downloadable plan at the end. The best starting point for most small food businesses.
FSA Safer Food Better Business (SFBB)
Visit →Pre-packed food safety management system for small caterers and retailers. Includes ready-made diary sheets for temperature records and cleaning schedules. Accepted by most EHOs as equivalent to a HACCP plan for simple operations.
Scores on the Doors / FHRS
Visit →The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme — your business will be inspected and rated 0–5 once you register. Understanding how inspectors assess businesses helps you prepare. Aim for a 5.
Key advice for farm businesses
Register with your local authority environmental health team before you start trading — failure to register is a criminal offence.
Your HACCP plan must be specific to your operation. A generic template downloaded from the internet is a starting point, not a finished document.
Review your HACCP plan whenever your menu, process, suppliers or premises change significantly — and at least once a year.
Get a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate — it is not a legal requirement for the business owner but it is the single most cost-effective thing you can do to understand food safety. Online courses are widely available for £10–£20.
Contact your local authority EHO before opening. Many offer a pre-inspection advisory visit for new food businesses — a free consultation that identifies any issues before they become a formal compliance problem.
Planning a farm diversification?
Calculate profit potential before committing to a food enterprise. HACCP compliance is one part of the picture — make sure the numbers work first.
This guide is for information only. Food safety law is complex and penalties for non-compliance can be severe including unlimited fines and criminal prosecution. Always consult your local authority environmental health team and a qualified food safety professional before opening a food business. This guide does not constitute legal or professional food safety advice.