Octopus HACCP
App to digitise the food safety plan and remove paper from the kitchen.
Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires food businesses to have a food safety plan based on HACCP principles, whose records (temperatures, cleaning, receiving) justify that the procedures are applied. The texts consulted set no format (paper or digital) for these records: what matters is that they are reliable and kept. Octopus HACCP aims to remove paper: that is exactly what a simple data-entry app allows. What you lose by building it yourself is the rollout of your existing plan: importing your paper sheets into the tool is the real work, more than the code.
What you lose
- Help turning your paper sheets into checklists.
- Ready-made food safety plan templates.
- The vendor's assistance during an inspection.
- Regulatory updates.
- Reminders tested in many kitchens.
Existing alternatives to Octopus HACCP
- HACCP FacileFree
HACCP app with a permanent free plan: photo traceability, goods receipt, fridge temperatures and frying oil.
- RestoPilFree
Tablet HACCP software for restaurants, with a permanent free plan and paid plans from €19.90/month.
- BackRestoSmaller vendor
French HACCP app (temperatures, cleaning, traceability), €14.90 to €19.90/month, unlimited users.
The prompt to build it yourself
Build me an app that replaces my paper hygiene sheets, for my restaurant, to replace a HACCP subscription. Stack: installable phone web app (PWA, mobile first), Node, Express, SQLite (better-sqlite3), hosted on my small server. No heavy front-end framework. Core of the tool: - A configuration file describes my current checklists (name, frequency, steps, expected values): I copy my paper sheets into it one by one. - The app generates the entry screens from that file: tick boxes, numeric values, photo, comment. - Reminders at scheduled times, and a “sheets not filled in” view. - Completed sheets are archived by date and found by search. Common requirements (a reading only counts as evidence if it is reliable): - Every record is timestamped by the server, with the user. A reading is never edited or erased: a correction creates a new line that points back to the old one (append-only log). - Deviations (temperature out of range, cleaning not done) trigger a non-conformity to handle: cause, corrective action, closing date. - Thresholds, zones (cold rooms, hot dishes) and checklists are set in a configuration file, without touching the code. - PDF export per period, ready to show during a health inspection. Configurable data retention period. - Several users (PIN code per employee), no email account. No telemetry. - Offline mode: entry works without network and syncs afterwards. Out of scope: connected probes, several venues, certification. README: installation, database backup, and a reminder that this tool documents your food safety plan but does not replace it: have it reviewed by your inspection body or a hygiene consultant.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Octopus HACCP be replaced by a custom-built tool?
- casevibecode verdict: Replaceable. Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires food businesses to have a food safety plan based on HACCP principles, whose records (temperatures, cleaning, receiving) justify that the procedures are applied. The texts consulted set no format (paper or digital) for these records: what matters is that they are reliable and kept. Octopus HACCP aims to remove paper: that is exactly what a simple data-entry app allows. What you lose by building it yourself is the rollout of your existing plan: importing your paper sheets into the tool is the real work, more than the code.
- What is Octopus HACCP used for?
- App to digitise the food safety plan and remove paper from the kitchen.
- What alternatives to Octopus HACCP already exist?
- HACCP Facile (free), RestoPil (free), BackResto (smaller vendor). Options to compare before committing to a custom build.
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