In education catering, food safety isn’t just about compliance – it’s about duty of care. Schools serve thousands of meals every day to pupils, many of whom may be more vulnerable to foodborne illness due to age, allergies or underlying health conditions. This makes robust food safety systems essential.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) sits at the heart of safe, compliant catering operations in education settings. It provides a structured, preventative approach to identifying risks and putting controls in place long before an issue reaches a plate.
What is HACCP?
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It’s an internationally recognised system designed to identify, assess and control food safety hazards at every stage of food handling – from delivery and storage through to preparation, cooking and service.
Rather than reacting to problems after they occur, HACCP focuses on prevention. This proactive approach is particularly important in education catering, where consistency, high volumes and varied skill levels among staff can increase risk if controls are not clearly defined and followed.
Understanding food safety hazards in education settings
A food safety hazard is anything that could cause harm if not properly controlled. In school settings, hazards typically fall into three categories:
- Microbiological hazards: These include bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria, which can thrive if food is not stored, cooked or cooled correctly.
- Chemical hazards: These can arise from cleaning chemicals, pest control substances or allergens if they are not handled and stored safely.
- Physical hazards: Foreign objects such as packaging fragments, hair or broken equipment parts can accidentally contaminate food.
HACCP plays a vital role in helping education caterers meet their legal responsibilities under UK food safety legislation, including the Food Safety Act and associated regulations. However, its value goes beyond compliance.
A well-implemented HACCP system helps education providers to protect pupils from foodborne illness, manage allergens effectively and consistently, demonstrate due diligence during Environmental Health inspections and reduce the risk of incidents that could lead to reputational damage or legal action
In short, HACCP underpins trust – from parents, students, regulators and the wider school community.
The seven HACCP principles explained
A HACCP system is built around seven core principles. Together, they provide a clear framework for managing food safety risks in education catering operations.
1.Conduct a hazard analysis
This involves breaking down each step of your catering operation – from goods-in to service – and identifying where hazards could occur. In education settings, this might include delivery checks, chilled storage, hot holding or allergen segregation.
2. Identify critical control points (CCPs)
Critical control points are stages where control is essential to prevent or eliminate a hazard. For example, cooking temperatures or chilled storage limits are common CCPs in school kitchens.
3. Set critical limits
Critical limits define the safe boundaries for each CCP. These are often based on time and temperature, such as minimum cooking temperatures or maximum fridge temperatures.
4. Monitor procedures
Monitoring ensures critical limits are being met consistently. This could include daily temperature checks, visual inspections or scheduled cleaning records.
5. Define corrective actions
If something goes wrong – for example, a fridge temperature is out of range – clear corrective actions ensure unsafe food does not reach service and the issue is resolved quickly.
6. Verify the system
Verification checks that the HACCP plan is working as intended. This might involve internal audits, record reviews or external inspections.
7. Keep accurate records
Documentation is essential in education catering. Clear records demonstrate compliance, support staff accountability and provide evidence during inspections or incident investigations.
How does it work in practice?
A HACCP plan brings all seven principles together into a practical, site-specific document. Effective HACCP plans aren’t generic; they’re tailored, regularly reviewed and understood by everyone involved in food handling. In education catering, the plan should reflect the age and vulnerability of the pupil group, menu types and allergen profiles, kitchen layout and equipment along with staffing levels and training needs.
HACCP training and certification
While HACCP itself is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ certificate, formal training and external audits play an important role in strengthening food safety culture within education catering teams.
Training helps staff understand why controls are in place, not just what to do. Audits and inspections provide reassurance that procedures are being followed and highlight opportunities for improvement.
Regular reviews are particularly important in education environments, where menus, staffing and service models can change throughout the academic year.
HACCP as part of a wider compliance strategy
HACCP shouldn’t sit in isolation. In education catering, it works best when integrated with wider compliance measures such as:
- Staff training and competency checks
- Equipment maintenance and calibration
- Cleaning and hygiene schedules
- Allergen management systems – such as our Litmus Edge system
How Litmus Edge can help with HACCP
Litmus Edge integrates food safety, allergen management and compliance into one simple, automated system. It eliminates manual processes, reduces risk and ensures your school remains compliant with all statutory and best practice standards.
Features of Litmus Edge include:
- Automated School Food Standards-compliant menu management.
- Over 4,000 supplier-linked recipes with live allergen and nutritional data.
- Compliant PPDS labelling for pre-packed items.
- EHO-ready food safety and management system.
- Full HACCP documentation and reporting.
With Litmus Edge, catering teams spend less time on admin and more time producing safe, healthy meals – reducing human error and ensuring compliance peace of mind.
For more insights on food safety, compliance and best practice in education catering, get in touch with us here.
The Litmus team
