What is a
Determine the Critical Control
points (Principle # 2)
B.K.Kolita Kamal Jinadasa,
Research Officer,
Post Harvest Technology Division,
NARA, Colombo-15,
Sri Lanka.
‹ CCPs are determined after hazard
analysis for the entire process is done.
‹ Focus control of significant hazards at
CCPs.
‹ CCP- where hazard control measures are
carried out.
‹ For
every significant hazard at least one
CCP where it is controlled.
‹1 Hazard controlled at more than on CCP:
‹ E.g. pathogens in cooked fish burgers – patty-
forming (CCP1) and cooking (CCP2) steps.
Critical Control Point (CCP) ?
9A step (point, procedure, operation or
stage) at which control can be applied and
is essential to
9Prevent, or
9Eliminate a food safety hazard or
9Reduce it to an acceptable level.
‹1 CCP controls more than one hazard:
‹ E.g. for frozen tuna production, adequate
temperature control at the receiving step CCP
is a control measure for both pathogen
growth and histamine formation.
Steps may be identified as CCPs
when hazards can be prevented.
Examples:
ƒ Introduction of pathogens or antibiotic
residues can be prevented by control at the
receiving step (supplier declaration, health
certification)
ƒ A chemical hazard can be prevented by
control at the formulation or ingredient
addition step (use only approved additives
and within permissible levels)
(OH3 P59-FDA)
 Steps may be identified as CCPs Steps may be identified as CCPs
when hazards can be eliminated: when hazards are reduced to
acceptable levels.
Examples: Examples:
ƒ Pathogens can be killed during the ƒ For raw shellfish, some biological and
cooking step chemical hazards can be minimized at the
ƒ Parasites can be killed by the freezing step harvesting step by obtaining shellfish from
approved waters.
ƒ Metal fragments can be detected and
affected products removed at the metal ƒ The occurrence of foreign matter may be
detection step minimized at the manual sorting step.
(OH4 P60-FDA) (OH5 P60-FDA)

CCPs vs. Control Points CCPs vs. Control Points

Control Points
CCP CP
• non-critical Steps at which Yes Yes
hazards can be
• loss of control will not result in unsafe
controlled
product
Critical (loss of Yes No
• control of quality factors e.g. color, control Unsafe
flavor product
Thing that it control Hazard Quality (e.g. color,
• managed by prerequisite programs weight, flavor, other
non hazard related
requirements)
Managed by HACCP Prerequisite program

How many CCPs?

‹ Keep CCPs to a minimum……. ‹ ….To step at which control of significant
hazards can be best achieved.
‹ E.g. a metal hazard
‹ ….tosteps which are truly critical to the
‹ Controlled in the line by ingredient sourcing,
product food safety. magnets, screens & metal detectors.

‹ CCP – metal detection in finished product; other

steps are CPs.
 Same product can have different
CCPs depending on:
CCPs are : • Plant layout
• Product formulation
• Product-specific • Process flow
• Process-specific • Equipment
• Ingredients
• existing prerequisite program

( OH9 P62-FDA) ( OH9 P62-FDA)

CCP DECISION TREE (Codex based)

Q1. Do control measures exist at this step or later steps?
How to decide if a step is a CCP?
YES Modify step, process or
product
¾CCP decision tree
¾A logical reasoning approach. Q2. Is the step specifically
NO YES
designed to eliminate or reduce
¾Use of a series of question which must be
the likely occurrence of the
answered in sequence. hazard to an acceptable level?
Is control at this step
¾Apply to each step at which a significant necessary for safety?
hazard (S) has been identified. YES
¾Only a tool to help in identifying CCPs NO
NO
and not a mandatory element of HACCP.
CCP Go to Q.3 NOT A CCP

Q3. Could contamination with identified hazards occur in CCP DETERMINATION TABLE:
excess of acceptable levels or could these increase to
unacceptable levels?
Production Significant Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 CCP
step hazard(s) Yes/No
YES N No

Y Y Yes
Q4. Will a subsequent step eliminate
identified hazards or reduce the likely NO
occurrence to an acceptable level? Y N N No

Y N Y N Yes
NO YES NOT A CCP
Y N Y Y No

CCP
(OH11 P65-FDA)
 OTHER CCP DECISION TREE
(Canadian practices based)
Q1. Is hazard fully controlled by prerequisite programs? Q4. Is the step specifically designed to eliminate or reduce
the likely occurrence of the hazard to an acceptable level?

NO YES NOT A CCP

NO
Q2. Could control measure(s)
be used by the operator at any NO
process step? Q5. Will a subsequent step eliminate
identified hazard or reduce its likely YES
Q3. Is it likely that contamination occurrence to an acceptable level?
NO YES with the identified hazard occur
in excess of acceptable level or
could increase to an
unacceptable level?
YES NO CCP
NOT A CCP
Identify how hazard will
YES
be controlled before or
NOT A CCP
after the process
Go to Q.4

THANK YOU!!!