HACCP
HACCP Implementation — a Legal Obligation and Protection for Your Business
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a preventive food-safety system: hazards are identified and controlled at critical points in the process — before an unsafe product reaches the consumer. For food-business operators in the EU and across the region, HACCP-based procedures are a legal obligation — in the EU under Regulation (EC) 852/2004, and under national food-safety laws elsewhere.
What is HACCP?
HACCP was originally developed for NASA's space programme, and today, through Codex Alimentarius, it's globally accepted as the foundation of food safety and the basis of every more advanced standard (ISO 22000, IFS, BRCGS). The system doesn't rely on testing finished products, but on controlling the process: if the critical points are under control, the product is safe.
It applies across the entire food chain: production, processing, storage, transport, catering and retail — from bakeries and butchers, through restaurants and hotels, to importers and distributors. The scope of documentation is scaled to the size of the facility, so small operators can apply simplified procedures based on HACCP principles.
From planning to implementation — support all the way
HACCP is not just the final piece of paper. We step in at any stage: while you are still planning production or retail and how food will be handled, when you are fitting out or converting premises, or when you are already operating and need to set up and implement a HACCP system. We guide you the whole way — from room layout and movement flows, through prerequisite programmes (PRP), to the HACCP plan, team training and preparation for registration and inspection.
It works best if we come and see the site
Before any application or price estimate, the most useful thing is for us to visit the location and look at the premises — room layout, movement flows, equipment and the real state of production. From that we see exactly what needs to be adjusted and prepared for HACCP and registration.
Implementation phases
The real phases we guide every project through — from preparation to the certificate, which comes only at the end:
The path to certification
HACCP is not an ISO standard, but the system is checked and confirmed — through official inspections and voluntary certification.
The prerequisite for everything: the system is implemented and applied in practice — every requirement of the standard met, the internal audit carried out and the management review completed.
Implementation of the 12 steps with documentation and training scaled to the size of the facility.
Checking that the system works and readiness for the Administration's official inspection.
On request, an independent certification body confirms the HACCP system — a frequent requirement of retail chains and hotels.
The HACCP plan is revised whenever a product, process or piece of equipment changes, and at least once a year.
Prerequisite Programmes — the foundation before the HACCP analysis
A HACCP plan cannot "work" without these foundational programmes — they must be in place before you start the hazard analysis and critical control points:
Staff personal hygiene, health checks, work clothing and conduct in the production area.
Cleaning plans for equipment and premises, agents used, frequency and effectiveness checks.
Preventing and controlling rodents and insects — a trap plan, contract with a licensed provider, records.
Water that comes into contact with food must be safe — regular testing and recorded results.
Approving suppliers of raw materials and packaging, goods receipt and checking accompanying documents.
The ability to trace every raw material and finished product through the whole process — and recall it quickly if a problem arises.
A preventive maintenance and calibration plan for devices that affect food safety (fridges, thermometers...).
Separating, storing and removing waste so it doesn't compromise the safety of production.
These are only the basic categories — which prerequisite programmes you actually need, and to what extent, depends on the type of facility and process. For a complete analysis tailored to your facility, contact us.
HACCP principles and steps
Implementation follows the 12 steps of Codex Alimentarius: 5 preliminary steps and 7 HACCP principles. Not sure whether you already meet these requirements? Check with the short self-assessment at the bottom of this page.
The HACCP team and product description
We form a team with process knowledge and describe, for each product, its composition, processing method, packaging, shelf life and storage conditions.
Intended use and flow diagram
We establish the intended use (including vulnerable consumer groups) and draw a flow diagram of the process from raw-material receipt to delivery.
On-site verification of the diagram
We check the diagram on site — the paperwork has to match the real process.
Hazard analysis
For every step of the process we identify biological, chemical and physical hazards (including allergens) and assess their significance.
Determining critical control points (CCPs)
Using a decision tree, we identify the points where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a hazard to an acceptable level — e.g. heat treatment, cooling, metal detection.
Critical limits
For every CCP we define measurable limits: temperature, time, pH, humidity — the values that separate safe from unsafe.
Monitoring system
Who measures what, how and how often at every CCP, with records that prove control.
Corrective actions
Predefined actions for when a limit is exceeded: what to do with the product, how to bring the process back under control, who decides.
Verification
Checks that the system works: internal reviews, laboratory analysis, equipment calibration, record review.
Documentation and records
The HACCP plan, procedures and records that prove to inspectors and customers that the system lives in practice.
Prerequisite programmes (PRP)
Before and alongside HACCP, we organise facility and equipment hygiene, pest control, waste management, staff training, supplier control and traceability.
Benefits of Adopting the Standard
You meet the obligations of the Food Safety Law and are ready for the Administration's inspections — without the risk of steep fines.
A single incident with unsafe food can destroy a reputation built over years; HACCP prevents it at the source.
Retail chains, hotels and export markets require a documented HACCP system as a minimum.
A controlled process means fewer nonconforming batches, returns and discarded goods.
An illustrative, typical scenario we often hear from clients — it does not represent a specific, named client.
“We applied for HACCP because a buyer asked for it — we thought we were doing it for somebody else. Only once we had introduced temperature control, incoming-goods checks and traceability did we realise that, above all, we had cut our own risk of spoilage, complaints and downtime. It turns out we implemented HACCP for ourselves.”
— a common scenario among our clients
Related standards
HACCP is the foundation on which certifiable standards are built: ISO 22000 extends it into a complete food-safety management system, while IFS Food and BRCGS add quality, food-defense and food-fraud requirements for retail-chain suppliers. ISO 9001 integrates naturally for managing the quality of the whole organisation.
HACCP training — from a basic understanding of the standard to internal auditor training. Delivered at your premises, online or as a combination of both.
FAQ about HACCP
Is HACCP mandatory?
In most markets, yes. In the EU, Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires food-business operators to put in place procedures based on HACCP principles, and national food-safety laws do the same — in Montenegro the Food Safety Law, whose 2026 version provides for fines of up to €20,000 for violations.
Who oversees HACCP compliance?
The Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs carries out official inspections of facilities and maintains registers of approved and registered operators.
How long does HACCP implementation take?
For smaller facilities (a restaurant, a bakery), usually 1 to 3 months; for production plants with multiple lines, 2 to 6 months. For large systems — over 500 employees, multiple locations or an integrated system of several standards — a project realistically runs beyond a year; we handle those clients too.
Do small facilities need a full HACCP system?
The regulations allow flexibility: small facilities can apply simplified procedures based on HACCP principles and good-practice guides, scaled to the size of the operation.
What's the difference between HACCP and ISO 22000?
HACCP is a hazard-control methodology; ISO 22000 is a certifiable standard that builds HACCP into a complete management system with leadership, communication and continual improvement.
How much does a HACCP system implementation cost?
There is no fixed price that applies to everyone — the cost depends on the organisation's field of activity, its size and number of employees, the chosen standard and the current state of the system. Send us a short description of your organisation and we will prepare a free, tailored estimate.
Standards that fit together like a honeycomb
Each standard keeps its own shape, but together they form a single solid, integrated management system (IMS) — with no gaps or overlaps. Click a hexagon to open that standard.
More about the integrated management system
An integrated management system (IMS) combines two or more ISO standards — for example HACCP with ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 — into one shared framework of documentation, objectives and internal reviews, instead of each standard living in its own parallel procedure.
A single structure (the High-Level Structure — HLS) shared by every modern ISO standard. Thanks to it, the quality policy, risk management, internal audits and management review can be common to several standards at once.
Each standard on its own addresses one part of the business — quality, environment, safety, information. When an organisation introduces several of them, separate systems quickly duplicate the same documentation and the same auditors.
Less duplicated procedure work, simpler management, stronger process oversight, more efficient use of resources and easier preparation for a combined certification audit.
HACCP can be implemented on its own or as part of an integrated system — the decision depends on how many standards you're targeting and whether you're introducing them at once or gradually.
Check your organization's readiness
Answer a few questions and receive an indicative assessment of your organization's current level of readiness for HACCP.
This self-assessment provides an indicative readiness result only. It does not constitute certification, an official audit, or formal confirmation of compliance.
The EU, the US and other markets
HACCP is the same standard wherever you certify it — what differs is the designation, the accreditation behind the certificate and what your customers ask for.
In the European Union the standard is adopted with an EN prefix, and what your buyer in the Netherlands, Germany or France looks at is not the prefix but the accreditation behind the certificate: a body accredited by a signatory of the international recognition arrangement (Global Accreditation Cooperation, formerly IAF) is recognised in other markets too. What EU partners and EU regulation expect is on the page about the EU market.
For companies with customers in the United States — supplier audits, security questionnaires and how ISO sits alongside SOC 2 — see the page about the US market.
Wherever your customer is, we run the project remotely in English — over Teams, WhatsApp or Viber, with documentation and records in English — and on site when that is easier.
Montenegro and the region
When people ask about a HACCP certificate, they mean the confirmation issued by an independent accredited certification body to an organisation whose system complies with every requirement of this standard.
Our core activity is standards implementation and rollout: we prepare your organisation so the certification audit goes without surprises, and we explain terms like "HACCP certification" and "HACCP certificate" because that's exactly how clients search for them. What certification, accreditation, IAF and surveillance audits involve — read the Certification / ISO Certificate page, and about tender designations on the ISO Standards in Tenders page.
Montenegro is where we work from: our consultants are based in Podgorica, Budva and Bijelo Polje, documentation and training come in Montenegrin or in English, and the certificate itself is issued by an independent accredited certification body — not by us. We work on site in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo as well — more about what we do in Montenegro.
Some of our references
More than 400 organisations in Montenegro and the region have gone through implementation with us — from banks and public bodies to manufacturing, IT, laboratories and hospitality.
These are only some of our clients. More about us →
Request a free consultation
We will assess the scope of work and propose a realistic plan and budget for your organisation. Call us or send an inquiry — we reply within 24 hours.