What is the first order of business for a HACCP team?

Establishing the scope of the HACCP plan is a critical initial step for the HACCP team because it sets the boundaries and the context for the entire food safety management system. By defining the scope, the team outlines what processes, products, and areas will be included in the HACCP analysis. This definition helps the team focus on the relevant aspects of the operation and ensures that their efforts are directed toward the most significant risks associated with the production process.

Getting the scope right lays a solid foundation for subsequent steps. It assists in identifying key processes, hazards, and control points that will be critical to the HACCP plan's effectiveness. With a clear scope, the team can then move on to more specific tasks such as describing the product, outlining its intended use, and constructing flow diagrams, all of which are important but follow logically from having a defined scope.