A Hazard Analysis [and] Critical Control Point[s] (HACCP) system is a set of procedures intended to predict food safety risks and prevent them before they happen. It entails identifying all the points in product processing and distribution where quality can be degraded (e.g., through improper temperature, improper handling, etc.) and checking those points to prevent problems (in contrast with procedures that check quality at the end of the processing and distribution chain, by which time damage may have already been done)