HACCP and FSMS: what’s the difference, and how they work together

If you handle food, you will hear two terms again and again: HACCP and FSMS. They are closely related, but they are not the same thing. This guide explains the difference, how they connect, and what it means in practice.

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What is HACCP?

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It is a structured way to identify food safety hazards, decide where they must be controlled, and prove those controls are working over time. HACCP is defined through internationally used guidance (Codex Alimentarius), including the HACCP system and its application guidelines.  

In practice, HACCP helps you answer questions like:

• What could go wrong in our process?
• Where do we prevent, eliminate, or reduce that risk to an acceptable level?
• How do we monitor, correct, and document it?

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What is an FSMS?

An FSMS (Food Safety Management System) is the wider system you use to manage food safety in day-to-day operations. Think of it as the full set of routines, roles, training, records, checks, follow-up, and continuous improvement that makes food safety work in real life.

A good FSMS usually includes:

• Prerequisite programs (PRPs), like cleaning, personal hygiene, allergen controls, pest control, maintenance, supplier routines
• HACCP-based control where needed
• Documentation and records
• Internal checks and improvement over time

This is also how FSMS standards are typically framed: HACCP principles are part of the system, not the entire system on their own.  

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HACCP vs FSMS: the simplest way to understand the difference

Here’s the easiest mental model:

HACCP is the method for controlling the most critical food safety hazards.

FSMS is the full operating system that makes food safety consistent, trainable, and auditable.

So if HACCP is “how we control key hazards”, FSMS is “how we run food safety every day”.

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Where HACCP fits inside an FSMS

Most food businesses need both:

1. PRPs to control everyday risk across the site (hygiene, cleaning, allergens, temperature routines, etc.)
2. HACCP to control specific hazards at points in your process where loss of control would be serious

That relationship matters because many problems that show up during inspections are not “CCP failures”. They are basic FSMS issues, like weak training, missing records, poor follow-up, or routines that exist on paper but not in practice.

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What you typically need to document

The exact documentation depends on your operation, but this is the common pattern:

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HACCP documentation

A HACCP set-up often includes a hazard analysis, identified control measures, monitoring, corrective actions, and verification, aligned with Codex HACCP guidance.  

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FSMS documentation

Your FSMS documentation usually covers PRPs, training, responsibilities, supplier routines, cleaning schedules, allergen management, internal checks, and how you handle and close issues over time.

If you operate in regions that require procedures based on HACCP principles, the expectation is not just “having a plan”, but implementing and maintaining it.  

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A practical example: restaurant workflow

Imagine a simple flow:

• Receiving chilled foods
• Cold storage
• Prep
• Cooking
• Hot holding
• Service

Your FSMS covers the baseline: staff hygiene, cleaning, allergen routines, labeling, calibration, training, and daily checks.

Your HACCP focuses on hazards where control must be tight. For many kitchens, that could include things like cooking and cooling steps, where time and temperature control is essential.

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Common mistakes when businesses “do HACCP” without an FSMS

These are the patterns that create stress before inspections:

• HACCP documents are generic, not matched to the actual menu or process
• Monitoring exists, but corrective actions are not closed properly
• Records are spread across folders, spreadsheets, messages, and paper
• Staff do not know what the plan says, or why it matters
• PRPs are weak, so the HACCP plan becomes overloaded

A simpler, stronger approach is usually: solid PRPs first, then a lean HACCP plan that is easy to maintain.

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How to build this the smart way

If you are building from scratch, do it in this order:

1. Map your process (what you actually do)
2. Set strong PRPs (what must happen every day)
3. Do a hazard analysis (what can go wrong, where)
4. Decide controls and monitoring (what you check, how often)
5. Make records effortless (so it happens in real life)

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Sources

Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO), General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), Annex on HACCP system and guidelines for its application:

https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/688f1a74-0e40-41e0-8bfa-26aeb8f31212

ISO, ISO 22000 Food safety management systems (overview / supporting material):

https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/store/en/PUB100417.pdf

Legislation text (EU), Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Article 5: HACCP procedures:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/852/article/5?timeline=false&view=plain

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