What is a Critical Control Point (CCP)?

According to the CDC, an estimated 48 million people in the US get sick from foodborne illness each year. With the increasing globalisation of food production, its safety through mechanisms like critical control points has become more essential than ever.

Running a successful food business today isn’t just about the taste and presentation. It’s more about the responsibility and accountability of managing a food business. Food safety is crucial for successful operations, whether protecting consumers against biological hazards or adhering to regulatory lines.

In this article, we’ll discuss what a critical control point (CCP) is, its relevance to a HACCP plan and its significance in maintaining a robust food safety system.

What is a Critical Control Point?

Critical Control Point (CCP) is a measure that can be implemented to mitigate any food safety hazard, either during food handling, food production or manufacturing. It is applied to understand and minimise possible threats to prevent unsafe food.

There are three broader groups of hazards:

Biological Hazards: harmful bacteria like Salmonella
Chemical Hazards: pesticides, toxins and allergens
Physical Hazards: metal, glass, or plastic fragments

Examples of CCP in food industry include:

Cooking or chilling steps
Packaging and transport points
Allergen or preservative addition

Why are Critical Control Points essential in Food Safety?

Critical Control Points (CCPs) are the main features of food safety systems because they aim to address the stages at which the risks can be proactively avoided or reduced. Managing food safety risks at such critical points helps ensure that biological, chemical, or physical risks never reach the customer.

A HACCP plan lists CCPs to eliminate contamination through cooking, chilling, packaging, or transporting. For example, storing and cooking chicken at safe temperatures of 75°C prevents microbial risks such as Salmonella.

These indicators also help to:

Prevent costly recalls and any health incidents
Comply with regulatory standards such as the FDA, ISO 22000
Maintain product quality and consistency
Protect customer trust

Missing or mishandling a CCP in the food industry, such as failing to monitor fridge temperatures, can make food unsafe and lead to legal health consequences. However, the bottom line is that CCPs are central to effective food safety management.

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What is a HACCP Framework?

HACCP or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, is a food safety management system currently implemented worldwide. It provides a systematic, preventative strategy of discovering and controlling biological, chemical and physical threats during food production.

Rather than end-product testing, HACCP focuses on risk evaluation and critical control points to prevent contamination during procurement, handling, processing, and distribution.

Since 2006, HACCP has become a requirement in most regions, as it must be used when inspecting food safety. Adherence to its principles is beneficial to ensure public health safety and safeguard businesses from legal consequences.

How Critical Control Points Fit into the HACCP Framework?

The Critical Control Points (CCPs) play the key role in HACCP systems; they are the strategic points in food production where one can effectively control the hazards. The HACCP system includes seven major principles, and CCPs are directly mentioned in Principles 2 and 3.

The seven HACCP principles are:

How Critical Control Points Fit into the HACCP Framework

1. Conduct a Hazard Analysis

List all possible biological, chemical and physical food safety risks and hazards at every stage of the food process.

2. Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs)

Find the stages where critical control points can prevent, eliminate or reduce hazards.

3. Establish Critical Limits

Create measurable safety limits for each CCP, like time, temperature or pH.

4. Establish Monitoring Procedures

Implement process checks (like temperature records) to ensure every CCP stays within safe limits.

5. Establish Corrective Actions

Determine corrective steps in case any CCP exceeds safe limits.

6. Verification Procedures

Verify the HACCP system regularly to ensure that all CCPs are working correctly.

7. Documentation Procedures

Maintain clear and accurate records of hazards analysis, CCPs, monitoring and actions taken.

These principles ensure that CCPs are correctly identified, duly controlled, verified and documented, forming the backbone of an effective food safety management system.

Examples of Critical Control Points in the Food Industry?

The following are some of the major CCPs in which food safety is highly regulated at various points in the process:

1. Cooking & Pasteurisation: For instance, cooking chicken at 165°F or pasteurising milk at 161°F for 15 seconds to kill pathogens.

2. Chilling & Freezing: Cooling food to temperatures below 41°F or freezing fish to -4°F to slow down microbe and parasite growth.

3. pH & Metal Detection: Regulating the acidity in pickles, or using detectors to kill metal contaminants

4. Ingredient Testing & Sanitation: Testing of ingredients regarding hazards and having sanitised equipment to keep things out of necessity.

How to Identify and Manage CCP?

Identifying and managing Critical Control Points (CCPs) is the basis of any successful HACCP-based food safety plan. A CCP is a point in the food production process, whereby there is a control that can prevent, eliminate or control a significant safety hazard to acceptable levels.

The identification procedure usually involves using a decision tree, a logical device to determine whether a specific step involved in the process is critical. If a food safety hazard is likely to occur at a step that another process cannot remove, then that process will be considered a CCP. The typical examples are cooking, chilling, pasteurisation and metal detecting.

Once identified, the critical limits have to be set up for every CCP. These are measurable parameters such as time, temperature, pH level, or concentration. For example, the destruction of Salmonella can be achieved by cooking poultry at 74 °C (165 °F).

The food safety systems must have monitoring procedures to ensure that every CCP operates within its critical limits continuously. Whenever there is a deviation, there should be a corrective measure immediately, like tuning the equipment or disposing of the product to regain control.

The constant verification will help the system to be active and regulatory compliant. These measures will appropriately identify and manage CCPs throughout the food chain.

Wrapping Up

Any excellent food safety management system focuses on identifying and managing Critical Control Points (CCPs). Whether it is cooking, chilling, sanitation or delivery, every proactive move will avoid hazards and maintain regulatory compliance. With a structured CCP approach, there is an increase in the control of operations and efficient compliance with HACCP and other food safety requirements.

Effivity’s cloud-based food safety management software streamlines food safety by automating CCP management, hazard tracking, and compliance workflows. It ensures real-time visibility, ease of auditing and the ability to maintain consistency concerning regulatory standards across all operations.

Ready to digitise your food safety management system and gain complete control over CCPs? Schedule a free consultation call with Effivity today.