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Don't ignore your HACCP review - it could cost you your rating

When Should a HACCP Be Checked? (To Avoid A Costly Mistake)

Introduction

“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

A modern reflection on Socrates wisdom Tweet

“Can you just come in and do a quick check of my HACCP?” 

This request usually comes a few days before an EHO inspection.  

What most people don’t realise is this: the HACCP review should have happened much earlier.  And not knowing when to check it, can ruin your food hygiene rating.

So let’s talk about this question ”when should a HACCP be checked?”  – so you don’t get caught out. Because getting caught out, could mean that your hygiene rating score drops like a stone (which could be embarrassing, as well as costly)!

What Does 'Checking' a HACCP Actually Mean?

Well, checking your HACCP means reviewing your HACCP Plan.  It does not mean a quick flick through your HACCP folder to see if the document is still there.

Properly checking your HACCP means:

  • Reviewing all the food you handle/sell
  • Reviewing the flow diagrams for each food type (*this is the path that food will follow)
  • Reassessing your hazards
  • Reconfirming your CCPs, critical limits, monitoring control measures
  • And checking whether your HACCP reflects what is happening day-to-day

The key question is: Does this HACCP Plan still reflect how your business actually runs today?

How Often Should HACCP Plans Be Reviewed?

You should review your HACCP Plan:

  • ✅ At least annually – even if nothing seems to have changed. It’s good practice and shows due diligence.
  • ✅ After any significant changes, such as:
    • Ingredient, recipe or menu changes
    • New allergens introduced because of new products or brands that you’ve purchased
    • Buying new equipment (e.g. vacuum packing machine, blast chiller)
    • Introducing new processes (e.g. cook–chill, sous-vide, or meat dry-ageing chamber)
  • ✅ Before an EHO inspection or third-party audit (e.g. SALSA)
  • ✅ After a complaint (e.g. hair in food) or alleged food poisoning claim (even if not confirmed), or after a food allergen incident or near-miss
  • ✅ When you start supplying food to higher-risk settings like:
    • Schools or nurseries
    • Hospitals or care homes
    • Or any other vulnerable population

What Triggers a HACCP Review?

Here are the red flags that mean your HACCP should be reviewed:

  • ⚡ New equipment (e.g. vacuum packer, blast chiller, sous-vide machine)
  • ⚡ New processes introduced (e.g. reheating, dry ageing beef, food delivery)
  • ⚡ Change in suppliers (e.g. UK to EU, or switching meat or fish sources)
  • ⚡ New products or menu with different risks (e.g. steak tartare, shell-fish)
  • ⚡ Changes to packaging of products
  • ⚡ Layout changes (e.g. opening a new prep area or site extension)
  • ⚡ Staff role (organisational chart) and/or responsibility changes 
  • ⚡ Supplying to new customer types (B2B: nurseries, care homes, franchises)
  • ⚡ Changes to legislation
  • ⚡ Emergence of a new risk
  • ⚡Trends / patterns with corrective actions (e.g. customer complaints, product recalls)

Real Example (Name Withheld):
A restaurant group opened a new central production kitchen to serve their multiple takeaway outlets. They added vacuum packing equipment to reduce food waste. No one thought about the HACCP – so it didn’t get reviewed and updated.

During the EHO visit, the inspector identified the new vacuum packing process. But controls were missing from the HACCP Plan to make vacuum packing safe.  Without these controls, vacuum packed food is at risk from Clostridium botulinum. The food hygiene rating dropped to a 1 score.  This could have been prevented, if someone had reviewed the HACCP Plan in time.

Why Reviews Matter (Even When Nothing Changes)

Even if you haven’t made any significant changes, a HACCP review still matters. You should review your HACCP Plan at least annually as a minimum.  Here’s why:

  • Practices drift over time (especially with new staff)
  • What was once safe can become risky
  • An up to date HACCP is a proactive way to protect your business & your customers BEFORE problems arise
  • Reviewing the HACCP Plan keeps your business legally compliant 
  • It is needed as part of a due diligence defence
  • An out-of-date HACCP may harm an insurance claim – your insurance company may refuse to pay out 

**EHOs expect to see evidence that your HACCP is being reviewed.

How to Stay on Top of HACCP Reviews

Here are some simple ways to stay in control:

  • Set an annual reminder on your calendar to remind you when your HACCP should be checked
  • Print and pin up a list of HACCP review triggers, as reminder for key staff
  • Do a quarterly mini-review (does your system still match real life?)
  • Train staff to flag changes early

**Use a HACCP Review Checklist (we’ll link this at the end).

Want Help?

If your HACCP hasn’t been reviewed in over a year, or you’ve changed equipment, processes, menu, premises layout or staff roles – it’s time.

We offer HACCP reviews as part of the services we offer – whether you’re on the high street or scaling to multiple sites. If you’re not sure where to start, just get in touch.

Find out more about our food safety consulting services. 

Final Word: Don’t Wait for the Wake-Up Call

Your food hygiene rating doesn’t just reflect how clean your kitchen is – it reflects how well you run your business.  And that means looking at your systems.

An outdated HACCP is one of the easiest ways to lose one star or more. Stay ahead. Know when to check your HACCP before the EHO walks through the door.

⬇️ Free Resource: HACCP Review Trigger Checklist (Download)

✅ Need a quick way to know if your HACCP needs to be reviewed?

We’ve developed a simple tick-box tool to help you catch the red flags — before your hygiene rating drops.

👉 Download the HACCP Review Trigger Checklist, print it out and use today.

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