May 12, 2025
In July 2024, a listeria outbreak tied to a Boar’s Head facility in Jarratt, Virginia, led to 10 deaths and sent 60 people to the hospital. When investigators arrived at the plant, they found severe sanitation issues, including mold, insects, and contaminated floors and equipment. Ultimately, more than seven million pounds of product had to be recalled, dozens of lawsuits were filed against the company, and the production plant was permanently closed.
It’s not an uncommon story. Every year, 48 million Americans get sick from foodborne illnesses. For food manufacturers, that’s not just a public health concern — it’s a serious business risk. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a globally recognized food safety management system designed to identify and control potential hazards before they become real threats.
Getting HACCP certified takes your food safety program a step further and offers a third-party stamp of approval that your facilities follow the highest safety standards. Read on to learn what HACCP certification entails, how it differs from basic compliance, and the steps necessary to achieve and maintain it.
HACCP certification is a formal third-party validation that you have effectively implemented an HACCP plan. It shows your business’s commitment to food safety and proves to clients, consumers, and regulators that you have taken steps to identify, assess, and control potential food safety hazards throughout your operations.
It’s not mandatory for all food-related businesses to be HACCP certified, but obtaining this certificate can help increase confidence in your products and open new markets and business opportunities.
All food businesses should follow HACCP principles (and, in many cases, they are legally required to), but not all choose to undergo a third-party certification.
In short, HACCP compliance means you have implemented HACCP processes, whereas HACCP certification means an external auditor has assessed and confirmed the effectiveness of your implementation.
Here is a quick breakdown of the key differences between HACCP compliance and HACCP certification:
| HACCP Compliance | HACCP Certification | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Internally implementing the HACCP system to meet regulatory or company food safety requirements. | A formal third-party endorsement that your HACCP system meets HACCP guidelines. |
| Verification process | Self-declared or verified via internal and regulatory inspections. No formal certificate is issued. | Verified by an independent third-party audit. An accredited certification body reviews your HACCP plan and facility to confirm all requirements are met, issuing a certificate upon success. |
| Required? | Yes. Compliance is the baseline for food safety programs and is often mandatory by law for certain industries. | No. Certification is voluntary but is frequently demanded by customers or international markets. Many companies pursue HACCP certification to meet supplier approval programs or GFSI-benchmarked standards. |
| Credibility | Demonstrates you are following food safety regulations and best practices, but relies on internal oversight. | Proof of food safety excellence. Certification shows clients, regulators, and consumers that your system was rigorously evaluated and meets high standards. |
To be HACCP certified carries an added level of credibility because an independent expert has reviewed your HACCP plan, observed your operations, and attested that you meet all the requirements of an HACCP standard.
For example, a juice or seafood manufacturer in the U.S. must comply with HACCP regulations enforced by the FDA, but they might also choose to get HACCP certified by a third party to showcase their food safety management system to retail clients.
Third-party certification bodies are accredited, independent organizations responsible for evaluating your food safety system based on HACCP standards. If your program passes the audit, they issue the official certificate, validating that your HACCP plan is both compliant and properly implemented.
Many food manufacturers also pursue certification through GFSI-recognized schemes like SQF, BRCGS, or FSSC 22000 — all of which require a strong HACCP foundation.
There are several well-known certifiers in the industry, including:
Choosing the right certifier matters. Look for an accredited certification body (like those listed above) to ensure they follow global standards. Accredited certifiers undergo rigorous training and assessment so that they are qualified to evaluate and verify HACCP plans and practices.
The concept of HACCP was first developed in the 1960s by NASA and Pillsbury, who partnered to ensure that food for space missions was safe. While the system was groundbreaking, adoption across the food industry was slow and inconsistent in the decades that followed.
That changed in the early 1990s after a devastating E. coli outbreak linked to undercooked hamburgers from Jack in the Box made national headlines. The incident left over 700 people sick and caused the deaths of four children, prompting widespread public concern and a major shift in how the U.S. approached food safety.
In response, regulators and food companies began taking a more structured approach. By 1996, HACCP became a regulatory requirement for meat and poultry processing in the U.S.The results were significant: Within just a few years, the USDA Economic Research Service estimated that HACCP systems helped reduce foodborne illness by 20% across the country.
What sets the HACCP framework apart — and what has made it so successful over the years — is its shift from reactive testing to proactive risk management. Instead of relying solely on final product inspections, HACCP builds safety into the process itself.
To do this, HACCP relies on seven core principles that guide the development and implementation of an HACCP food safety plan.
Together, these principles create a structured, data-driven system that businesses can use to control risks, comply with regulations, and ensure food safety at every step.
Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) are the building blocks of a successful HACCP system. While they aren’t part of the HACCP plan itself, PRPs are the practices and conditions that must be in place before a hazard analysis can begin. PRPs help control the general operational environment, reducing the likelihood that hazards will develop in the first place.
PRPs should be:
Good Manufacturing Practices are the most well-known type of PRP. GMPs are a set of formal procedures and mandated programs that promote the sanitary production and safe handling of food. For example, GMPs cover things like handwashing protocols, clean uniforms, equipment sanitation, and temperature control in storage areas.
Often mandated by regulatory agencies, GMPs are a required component of any GFSI-recognized certification — including SQF, BRCGS, and FSSC 22000 — and are the core operations and hygiene standards that create the conditions for safe food production.
HACCP certification is supported and influenced by a range of organizations and tools that shape how food businesses approach risk management and compliance. Key players include regulatory agencies, industry associations, certification bodies, and technology providers.
Two key organizations have played a critical role in shaping the development and implementation of HACCP in the United States:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) serves as the primary regulatory authority for HACCP in sectors like seafood and juice. In addition to enforcement, the FDA provides in-depth guidance to help food businesses interpret and apply HACCP principles in real-world settings.
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) provided the scientific foundation for HACCP, developing the HACCP Principles & Application Guidelines, which serve as the national standard for designing and implementing HACCP systems. These guidelines have since influenced food safety protocols around the world. (The USDA eliminated NACMCF on March 7, 2025, as part of an executive order titled “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.”)
Together, they provide the regulatory oversight and scientific credibility that have made HACCP a trusted framework for managing food safety risks — both in the U.S. and globally.
Food Safety Plans and HACCP plans are closely related and share many core elements, but there are some key differences in scope and regulatory context.
A Food Safety Plan is a broader system introduced under the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). It includes HACCP-like elements but expands the scope to all reasonably foreseeable hazards, not just critical ones. It also emphasizes preventive controls beyond CCPs.
A Food Safety Plan includes:
Key differences at a glance:
| Feature | HACCP Plan | Food Safety Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Based on | 7 HACCP principles | FSMA Preventative Controls Rule |
| Required by | FDA (seafood/juice), USDA (meat, poultry) | FDA (most food processors) |
| Hazard focus | Significant hazards | All known or reasonably foreseeable hazards |
| Includes a recall plan? | No | Yes |
| Supply chain program? | Not required | Required if hazards are controlled upstream |
| Flexibility | More rigid format | Broader and facility-specific |
In short, Food Safety Plans are required for facilities regulated by the FDA (accounting for about 77% of the U.S. food supply). In contrast, an HACCP plan is required by the FDA and USDA only for specific food groups (seafood, juice, meat, and poultry). This means that most food processors must have a Food Safety Plan along with their HACCP plan.
Pro Tip: Use the FDA Food Safety Plan Builder to start developing a compliant system and to become HACCP certified.
While HACCP focuses on managing significant hazards through its seven core principles, a Food Safety Plan ties everything together. It ensures that all relevant risks are addressed, not just the most critical ones, and provides the evidence auditors and certifiers need to verify that your system is effective.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasing role in HACCP plan development, monitoring, and compliance.
AI can be applied to food safety in a number of ways:
While industry adoption and widespread application are slow (mainly due to a lack of large, publicly available datasets from which to build prediction models), AI is emerging as a valuable tool to enhance both the accuracy and efficiency of HACCP compliance.
Once you have developed a functioning plan, it’s time to get officially HACCP certified.
Here’s a high-level overview of the process:
HACCP audits verify that your food safety systems are fully documented, integrated, and effective.
To prepare:
Preparation reduces surprises and helps ensure the audit runs smoothly.
Becoming HACCP certified is about more than simply meeting a technical standard. External validation turns your internal efforts into a visible asset for your brand.
Third-party certification offers key benefits to your business:
Getting HACCP certified is a big achievement. But keeping that certification active requires consistent, year-round compliance.
Here’s how to stay certified:
Being HACCP certified offers more than regulatory peace of mind—it’s a smart investment in your business’s long-term success. By identifying and controlling food safety risks before they become problems, HACCP helps reduce the chances of recalls, compliance violations, and costly downtime. It also brings structure and clarity to operations, often leading to more efficient workflows, stronger quality control, and better team accountability.
HACCP certification also builds trust and opens doors. It shows customers, retailers, and regulators that your company is committed to the highest standards of food safety. This can give you a competitive edge when bidding for contracts or expanding into new markets, particularly when working with larger retailers or distributors that require certified suppliers.
In the United States, HACCP plans are mandated by the FDA for seafood and juice processors, and by the USDA for meat and poultry operations. But even beyond these regulated sectors, certification is becoming increasingly necessary for doing business with large buyers and accessing global markets. Without it, companies may face limited market access or lose out on valuable partnerships.
Built for frontline teams, Redzone helps food manufacturers go fully paperless while streamlining every part of the HACCP compliance process.
With configurable digital checklists, real-time dashboards, and automated alerts, teams can easily monitor critical control points, track safety tasks, and respond to deviations before they become issues. The system supports full documentation—including images, barcodes, and timestamps—making audits faster, cleaner, and less stressful.
Advanced features like Statistical Process Control (SPC) help businesses stay proactive by identifying trends and triggering corrective actions early. From safety inspections and startup checks to allergen control and sanitation tracking, Redzone provides one platform for everything HACCP-related, reducing paperwork, human error, and compliance gaps.
Whether you’re preparing for certification or maintaining it long-term, Redzone’s compliance software empowers your team to run a safer, smarter operation with HACCP compliance built into your daily workflows.
The food and beverage industry operates under some of the strictest regulations and manufacturing conditions. Perishable ingredients, high consumer expectations, and tight margins leave little room for error.
Production lines must constantly adapt to seasonal shifts and evolving trends like plant-based alternatives and sustainable practices. Add in limited shelf lives and growing pressure to reduce food waste, and it’s clear how quickly that complexity can introduce risk.
Redzone is purpose-built to meet these challenges.
Whether you’re producing snacks, dairy, meat, or beverages, Redzone supports industry-specific needs across every vertical. From allergen management and sanitation checks to real-time production tracking, Redzone delivers both operational agility and audit readiness.
In the food industry, safety isn’t a static parameter. It’s a moving target shaped by evolving risks, shifting regulations, and rising consumer expectations. HACCP certification helps you build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement that turns your safety plans into a verified, recognized achievement. With tools like Redzone supporting your compliance efforts, you’ll be prepared to prove it every step of the way.
Learn how Redzone can help you manage HACCP compliance. Book a demo with us today.
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