What HACCP is
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is the systematic food safety plan that identifies where things can go wrong and the controls that keep food safe. Paddl builds and maintains yours, and keeps it linked to what is actually happening day to day.
Generate a plan with AI
Go to Food Safety > HACCP Plans
Click Generate HACCP Plan
Paddl drafts a plan from your business type, menu, and any documents you have uploaded, covering all seven HACCP principles
Review the draft and adjust the process steps, hazards, and limits to match how you really work
You can write or edit a plan by hand too. The AI is a fast starting point, not a black box, so everything it produces is editable.
Your allergen matrix, menu, and COSHH chemicals feed into the draft. Paddl reads the allergens and may-contain risks on your menu items and the hazard statements on your chemicals, so the allergen and chemical control points reflect what is actually in your kitchen. After you import a menu, Paddl offers to build a HACCP plan as a next step.
Update an existing plan instead of creating a new one
If you already have a plan and start the builder again, Paddl asks whether to update the existing plan or create a new one. Updating keeps the plan's history, version, and staff sign-offs, so choose it unless you genuinely need a separate plan for a new site or production area. This is what stops a second draft appearing every time you revisit the builder.
Organisation and location plans
Paddl supports a two-tier structure. You can hold a master food safety system at organisation level and have location-specific plans underneath it, so a group keeps one consistent standard while each site documents its own kitchen. Single-site businesses just have the one plan.
Critical Control Points
A CCP is a step where control is essential to prevent or reduce a hazard, such as cooking to a core temperature. Each CCP records its hazard, critical limits, how it is monitored, and the corrective action if a limit is breached. A CCP usually looks like this:
CCP | Hazard | Critical limit | Monitoring | Corrective action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cooking | Survival of pathogens | Core 75°C, or 70°C for 2 minutes | Probe each batch | Continue cooking, re-probe, record |
Chilled storage | Bacterial growth | 0°C to 5°C | Twice-daily fridge check | Move stock, assess food, repair unit |
Hot holding | Bacterial growth | 63°C or above | Check during service | Reheat to 75°C or discard |
You can link a CCP to the equipment it relies on and to the monitoring routine that proves it is being checked. The plan then shows a live monitoring rate from those routines, so you can see at a glance whether your controls are actually being followed.
Corrective actions
When a limit is breached, record a corrective action against the CCP. Capture what happened, the root cause, a photo if useful, what you did, and who did it. This builds the due-diligence trail inspectors and insurers look for.
Reviews and staff sign-off
Set a review frequency so Paddl reminds you when the plan is due a review
Require staff sign-off so your team confirms they have read it; sign-off records who signed, when, and which version
When you change the plan, previous sign-offs are invalidated so staff re-acknowledge the new version
Review your plan with AI
Open a plan and go to the Verification & Reviews tab, then click Review with AI. Paddl checks the plan against your current menu, allergens, COSHH chemicals, and recent activity, then shows a short summary and a list of suggested changes, such as a new chemical that needs a control point or an allergen that is not yet covered.
Each suggestion explains why it is suggested. Click Apply on the ones you want; advisory items are shown for you to handle by hand
Applying a change updates the plan through the normal route, so version history and staff sign-off are handled for you
Click Complete review with these findings to sign off a formal review with the AI summary attached
Run it whenever something material changes, such as a new menu, supplier, or cleaning chemical, and again at your scheduled review.
Editing and exporting
Open a plan from Food Safety > HACCP Plans and click Edit to change the scope, process steps, policies, review frequency, or sign-off setting. Click Export PDF to download the full plan, including CCPs, reviews, corrective actions, and signatures, ready to print or hand to an inspector.