Critical Control Point (CCP)
A specific step in a food process where control can be applied to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard.
Identifying CCPs is the core of any HACCP plan. Common examples include cooking (to kill bacteria) and cooling (to prevent growth). If a CCP fails—for example, a burger isn't cooked to 75°C—the food is deemed unsafe and "Corrective Action" must be taken immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Missing a CCP check (like failing to record the cooking temp of a turkey roll) breaks the "chain of evidence" for food safety. If a customer claims food poisoning, and you have a gap in your CCP records for that day/time, you have no "Due Diligence" defence in court. You cannot prove the food was served safely, leaving you open to liability claims and fines.
A Critical Control Point (CCP) is a step where a hazard must be controlled because there is no later step to fix it. For example, cooking a chicken breast is a CCP because if you don't kill the Salmonella now, nothing else will kill it before the customer eats it. Buying the chicken is just a control point (CP) because you will cook it later. If you are unsure, use a "CCP Decision Tree," but typically Cooking, Cooling, and Hot Holding are the main CCPs in hospitality.