HACCP - Food and hygiene certificate

HACCP Certification: Optimum risk management and consumer protection

The HACCP certificate is suitable for all manufacturing companies in the food and beverage sectors along the entire production chain. Implementation of HACCP is already mandatory in Europe and the USA, but other countries are placing increasing emphasis on certification, and so an HACCP certificate is worthwhile for all organizations which export abroad. HACCP stands for hazard analysis and critical control points. HACCP certification helps you to meet current challenges in the area of food safety.

TÜV NORD is represented and respected all over the world. Our auditors have in-depth knowledge of food safety combined with an interdisciplinary approach and undertake intensive annual training in order to remain ahead of the field. This means that we can offer the possibility of combined audits which cover several different standards.

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Benefits of HACCP certification

You secure the trust of your customers.
Focus on preventive actions helps to avoid unnecessary costs.
You use your resources effectively to produce trustworthy food.

With an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) accredited certificate you demonstrate consistent use of the HACCP concept throughout the world
The HACCP concept ensures compliance with legal regulations and reduces food safety risks (i.e. product liability risks), ensuring better food quality.
This creates trust on the part of consumers and customers.

The 7 principles of the HACCP concept

Download your HACCP Poster here

FAQs about HACCP

What is the purpose of HACCP?

The HACCP concept was developed in order to specify the necessary hygiene requirements and ensure production of safe and suitable food. The food hygiene ordinance in Germany and European Regulation No. 852/2004 specify that the HACCP concept is mandatory for all organizations concerned with the production, processing and sale of foodstuffs.

The HACCP concept bundles all efforts to supply consumers with safe food and to optimise consumer protection. The concept involves corrective and preventive strategies which have a positive impact on your internal processes.

The focus is on:

Consumer protection
Safety requirements for food and animal feed
Good manufacturing practices
Continual improvement of the management of safe food and animal feed
Effectiveness of the safety system for food and animal feed

What kinds of organizations need an HACCP concept?

All manufacturing companies in the food and beverage sector along the entire production chain in Europe and the USA are obliged to implement HACCP. But an HACCP certificate is also very important for other countries, in particular for all companies who export abroad.

Is certification to HACCP accredited?

The German Accreditation Council withdrew from accreditation for HACCP as early as 2017. The reason is that HACCP is now a legal requirement and therefore is no longer a voluntary standard, and it is not used as a basis for ISO 22000. We therefore sought an alternative accreditation which is valid throughout the world, and we offer our clients accreditation to the American accreditation body ANAB. ANAB is the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) National Accreditation Board in the USA.

What does HACCP mean?

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. The HACCP certificate covers processes in food manufacturing and services in the food sector and specifies the necessary hygiene requirements for the manufacture of safe food which is suitable for human consumption. The HACCP certificate can be used for all organizations and all stages within the food chain: from primary production through processing, storage and distribution to retail outlets themselves.

What product categories are there in HACCP?

The following product categories are used for HACCP certification:

Farming of animals, fish and plants, HACCP categories A and B
Food manufacturing, HACCP category C
Animal feed production, HACCP category D
Catering, HACCP category E
Distribution (wholesale and trading), HACCP category F
Retail, transport and storage, HACCP category G
Services for the food industry, HACCP category H
Manufacturing of primary or secondary packaging materials, HACCP category I
Manufacturing of machinery with food contact and vending machines, HACCP category J
Manufacturing of food and animal feed additives, manufacturing of chemicals, HACCP category K

What is the procedure for HACCP certification?

From the start you will work with a competent team of experts from TÜV NORD CERT, who will provide you with independent and neutral support.

Our services:

Planning and preparation of the audit
Performance of the certification audit: Document review and on-site inspection
Determination of the audit rating
Issue of the certificate
The certificate is valid for three years, followed by recertification.

TÜV NORD Checklist for HACCP

Checkliste: HACCP Standard Comparison Version 4 and 5

According to Article 5 of EC Regulation 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, food business operators are obliged to introduce and maintain one or more procedures based on the HACCP principles in order to ensure safe foodstuffs.

There is currently no accreditation for the certification of HACCP in Germany, but TÜV NORD Food & Agriculture has been accredited for the certification of HACCP under the American accreditation body ANAB since 2017.

For your information, we provide you with a checklist for the proven TÜV NORD HACCP standard. A comparison of versions 4 and 5 of the standard is included in the checklist.