Understanding critical control points is an important part of WJEC Level 1/2 Hospitality and Catering Unit 1.3.1, Health and safety. They are the stages in a food process where a hazard must be prevented, removed or reduced to an acceptable level. This guide explains how HACCP works, how to recognise a critical control point and how to describe one clearly in an assessment. You will also see how the theory links to practical food preparation, from receiving ingredients to serving a finished dish.
What is HACCP?
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. It is a systematic approach to food safety. Systematic means that food businesses work through a process in an organised way, identifying possible hazards and deciding how each hazard will be controlled.
A hazard is something that could cause harm. In food preparation, hazards may include:
- Biological hazards, such as harmful bacteria or viruses.
- Chemical hazards, such as cleaning chemicals or allergens being transferred to food.
- Physical hazards, such as pieces of packaging, glass or metal.
HACCP focuses on preventing problems rather than relying only on checking the food at the end. A food business identifies the stages where control is especially important and plans how those stages will be monitored.
What is a critical control point?
A critical control point, often shortened to CCP, is a stage in a food process where control is essential to prevent a food-safety hazard, eliminate it or reduce it to an acceptable level.
For example, when preparing a chicken dish, cooking may be a critical control point because it is a stage where harmful bacteria can be controlled. If the cooking process is not effective, the finished food could be unsafe. The exact control used will depend on the food, equipment, recipe and food-safety procedures in that setting.
A CCP is more than simply a stage where something is checked. It is a point at which losing control could result in an unacceptable food-safety risk. Not every step in a recipe is a CCP. Washing hands, cleaning surfaces and storing food correctly are all important controls, but whether a particular step is classed as a CCP depends on the hazard analysis and the process being examined.
How to spot a critical control point
Use the following questions when analysing a food process:
- What could go wrong? Identify the hazard at that stage. For example, raw meat could contaminate a ready-to-eat salad.
- Can the hazard be prevented or controlled here? Decide whether this stage is important for reducing the risk.
- Would losing control create a food-safety problem? If the answer is yes, the stage may be a CCP.
- How will the control be checked? A responsible person should be able to monitor whether the process is under control.
- What action is needed if control is lost? The food business should have a planned corrective action, such as stopping the process, changing the procedure or reporting the problem.
Common examples in a food process
| Stage | Possible hazard | Possible control |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving ingredients | Food may be damaged, contaminated or unsuitable. | Check deliveries and follow the business’s acceptance procedure. |
| Storing food | Bacteria may multiply if food is stored incorrectly, or raw food may contaminate ready-to-eat food. | Use the correct storage arrangements, separate raw and ready-to-eat foods and monitor the process. |
| Preparing food | Cross-contamination may transfer bacteria or allergens between foods, equipment or surfaces. | Use suitable equipment and cleaning procedures, and keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate. |
| Cooking | Harmful bacteria may survive if food is not cooked effectively. | Follow the recipe and the food business’s cooking procedure, then check that the required control has been achieved. |
| Cooling or serving | Food may become unsafe if it is handled or held incorrectly. | Follow the workplace procedure for cooling, holding and serving the food. |
These are examples to help you understand the process, not a list of CCPs that applies automatically to every recipe. A CCP must be identified by considering the particular hazard and the way the food is prepared.
Critical limits, monitoring and corrective action
A critical limit is the boundary that separates safe control from loss of control at a CCP. Depending on the process, this may relate to a measured condition, a time, a visual check or another specified requirement. Use the procedure provided by the food business, school or qualification materials rather than guessing a limit.
Monitoring means carrying out planned checks at a CCP. This could involve observing a process, checking equipment or recording a measurement. Monitoring should happen at the appropriate stage, not only after the food has been served.
Corrective action is what must happen when monitoring shows that a critical limit has not been met. This may involve stopping the process, putting the food aside, correcting the problem, informing a responsible person or reviewing the procedure. The action must deal with the immediate risk and help prevent the problem happening again.
Applying HACCP to a practical dish
Imagine planning a pasta dish containing cooked chicken and a salad garnish. A useful HACCP approach would be to:
- List the process from receiving and storing ingredients through to preparation, cooking and serving.
- Identify hazards, such as cross-contamination during preparation or harmful bacteria surviving cooking.
- Decide which stages need especially strong control.
- Set out how each important stage will be monitored.
- State the action to take if the process is not under control.
In an assessment, avoid writing only “cook the chicken safely”. A stronger explanation identifies the hazard, names the control at the relevant stage and explains why that control matters. For example: “Cooking is a critical control point because it controls the hazard of harmful bacteria surviving in the chicken. The cooking process must be monitored according to the food-safety procedure.”
Exam-ready retrieval checklist
- Can you explain what HACCP stands for?
- Can you define a hazard?
- Can you define a critical control point?
- Can you explain why cooking might be a CCP in a particular process?
- Can you distinguish between a general control measure and a CCP?
- Can you explain critical limit, monitoring and corrective action?
- Can you apply HACCP to the stages of a practical dish?
For the specification wording, consult the official WJEC Hospitality and Catering specification. Food-safety guidance, legal requirements and recommended procedures can change, so check the latest information from WJEC, the Food Standards Agency or GOV.UK when revising.
Frequently asked questions
Is every food-preparation step a critical control point?
No. Every step should be considered during hazard analysis, but a CCP is a stage where control is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a hazard to an acceptable level.
Can a CCP control more than one hazard?
Yes. A particular stage may control more than one hazard, but each hazard and its control should be explained clearly.
Why is monitoring important?
Monitoring provides evidence that the control at a CCP is working. If a check shows that control has been lost, corrective action can be taken before unsafe food is served.