What are Critical Control Points (CCPs) in HACCP?

• A. Points of sale for cash handling
• B. Acts of consumer demand
• C. Points in scheduling where staff breaks occur
• D. Steps in the food production process where hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced

Answer: (D)

Critical Control Points are specific steps in the food production process where a control measure can be applied to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level. In HACCP, after hazards are identified, you determine where controls must be applied to ensure safety, and those steps become the points where you set critical limits, monitor performance, and take corrective action if limits are not met. Examples include cooking to a minimum internal temperature to kill pathogens, maintaining hot or cold holding temperatures to prevent growth, and ensuring proper sanitation at critical equipment contact points. The goal is to intervene exactly at the stage where failure would make the product unsafe.

The other options don’t address safety hazards in the production process: cash-handling points relate to financial operations, consumer demand is about market behavior, and staff break scheduling is about labor management.