What are critical control points?

Critical control points (CCPs) are specific points in a food production process where hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels. In the context of food safety, identifying these points is essential to ensure that food remains safe for consumption. These hazards may include biological, chemical, or physical risks that could compromise food safety. By focusing on these critical control points, food safety management systems, such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), can effectively monitor and control potential risks, leading to safer food products.

Understanding the significance of critical control points allows food handlers and safety professionals to implement appropriate measures, such as setting critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, and verification processes. This proactive approach to food safety helps minimize the likelihood of foodborne illnesses, ensuring a safer food supply for consumers.

While assessing quality, gathering customer feedback, and monitoring employee traffic are important aspects of food service management and operations, they do not specifically address the identification and management of hazards within the production process. Thus, they do not serve the purpose of defining critical control points in the context of food safety.