HACCP guide for companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: implementation, documentation and daily practice

HACCP is a preventive approach to food safety based on hazard analysis and the control of points that are significant to the process. Instead of looking for a problem only in the finished product, it considers raw materials, receipt, storage, preparation, processing, service or distribution, depending on the activities of the particular business.

In its official materials on implementing HACCP principles, the Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina refers to Article 29 of the Food Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina: food businesses, except at the level of primary production, should regularly inspect conditions at their premises through a preventive self-monitoring procedure developed in accordance with HACCP principles. This information provides a general framework and is not a legal interpretation for any individual company; current, specific obligations should be checked according to the activity, premises and requirements of the competent authorities.

The practical value of HACCP becomes clear when staff know what they are checking, the responsible person can confirm that checks have been completed and a deviation triggers a pre-agreed response. Documentation should support this way of working rather than create a parallel administrative process that does not reflect what actually happens in the business.

Implementation begins with an accurate description of the company and its processes. This should cover the activities, products or product groups, intended use, suppliers, equipment, rooms, movement of staff and goods, and storage conditions. Copying another business's plan is not a sound basis, even when two companies describe their activities in similar terms, because the layout, equipment, scale of operations and actual process steps may differ.

Preparation should involve people who understand the day-to-day work. The owner or management provides resources and authority, the responsible person coordinates the system, and staff from purchasing, storage, production, the kitchen or sales explain how the process actually works. External professional support can guide the methodology, but it cannot replace information from the team working at the premises.

The sequence matters: first understand the process, then assess the hazards and select appropriate controls. Forms come afterwards. Starting with an empty table can easily produce a record that requests data with no clear link to the risk or the decision that the data is intended to support.

Documentation usually has two connected levels. The plan, hazard analysis, procedures and instructions explain how the system is intended to work. Operational records show what was actually checked, when it was checked, who performed the check, the result and what was done in response to a deviation. A well-organised plan without regular records does not demonstrate day-to-day implementation.

Document titles, versions, approval dates and the responsible person should be clear. Staff should have access to the current version at their workplace, while superseded versions are withdrawn from use and archived in accordance with internal rules. The guide How to organise HACCP documentation covers the structure of plans, procedures and forms in greater detail.

At the beginning of a shift, staff should know which checks they must perform and when. Data should be recorded at the time of the check, not reconstructed from memory at the end of the day. If a result deviates, the defined procedure is followed and the specific action is recorded. The shift manager or another designated person checks that the required tasks have been completed while there is still time to respond.

It is better to assign responsibilities to roles rather than names alone. This makes it clear in advance who takes over a task during breaks, another shift or an absence. Management provides the necessary conditions and ensures that the system is not merely a formality; the designated HACCP lead maintains the documentation and reviews; operational staff perform the checks; and supervisors monitor completeness and escalate problems.

The most common problem is a gap between the documentation and actual practice. A flow diagram omits a step, a record is completed retrospectively, a criterion is unclear or a deviation is recorded without an action. Another frequent problem is unclear responsibility: a check is “everyone's job”, so nobody follows up when it is missed.

Errors should be treated as information about the process. A blank field may indicate that the scheduled time is unrealistic, the form is unavailable or no substitute has been assigned. Repeatedly applying the same action may indicate that the consequence is being addressed without considering the cause. Further examples are available in the article Common mistakes in HACCP records.

Digitalisation is useful when it is difficult to monitor multiple premises, shifts or control points, or when photographs of forms are shared through messages. A structured record can link the user, location, time, result and corrective action, making it easier to review incomplete checks.

Software does not fix a poorly defined process. Before adding checklists, responsibilities, criteria, frequency and the handling of deviations should be properly defined. Otherwise, an unclear paper form is simply transferred to a screen. The article Digital HACCP or paper records compares the two approaches.

The FS App digital HACCP system is designed to manage checklists, temperatures, documents, corrective actions and location-based data reviews. It delivers the best results when supporting a professionally developed HACCP plan and making it easier for staff to carry out defined tasks.

Begin by walking through the process and carrying out a brief assessment of the current situation. Gather the documents already in use, speak with people from each shift and select a representative working day on which to verify the flow. Then list the differences between actual practice and the documented procedure, prioritising them according to their significance for process control.

If you are opening new premises, develop the documentation alongside the layout, equipment and procedures. At existing premises, first clarify the most significant non-conformities, responsibilities and controls that cannot be reliably verified, then organise the forms and review process.

For a professional process review, development or improvement of the plan, team training and organisation of records, see our HACCP implementation and consultancy service. The aim of effective support is not to hand over a generic ring binder, but to establish a system suited to the particular premises that the team can apply consistently.