HACCP: A Practical Approach, 4th edition has been updated to include the current best practice and new developments in HACCP application since the last edition was published in 2013. This book is intended to be a compendium of up-to-date thinking and best practice approaches to the development, implementation, and maintenance of HACCP programs for food safety management.

In the last ten years, significant shifts have occurred in the global operating environment, relating to climate change, global supply chains, and a larger focus on sustainability, for example. In 2023, the Codex Alimentarius Commission reported the adoption of the revised General Principles of Food Hygiene, resulting in the finalization of the revised CCP Decision Tree by the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene. Reflecting these recently published international standards, this edition offers the most up-to-date guidance, bolstered by several decades of insights from HACCP application. The most common causes of ineffective HACCP application, and methods of averting these pitfalls and misconceptions, will be dissected. Discussion of the potential benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence and other technological tools will also be included. 

The preliminary stages of HACCP, including preparation and planning and system design, are covered first, followed by a consideration of food safety hazards and their control. The book is written both for those who are developing HACCP systems for the first time and for those who need to update, refresh and strengthen their existing systems.  New materials, including new case study material, and new tools to assist the HACCP team have been provided and the current situation on issues that are still undergoing international debate. All tools such as decision trees and record-keeping formats are provided to be of assistance and are not obligatory to successful HACCP. Readers are guided to choose those that are relevant to their situations and which they find are helpful in their HACCP endeavors.

Sara Mortimore is the Vice President of Product Safety, Quality Assurance, and Regulatory Affairs at Land O’Lakes. She is the co-author of several successful books on HACCP and food safety management.

Carol Wallace is Principal Lecturer, Food Safety Management and Co-Director of the International Institute of Nutritional Sciences and Applied Food Safety Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. She is Course Leader for postgraduate food safety and HACCP programs and works closely with international food companies and organizations for the ongoing improvement of food safety standards.