CCPs are the steps in your process where a control measure is or can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level the identified food safety hazard(s). You can determine CCPs with the help of a question and answer template or a decision tree to individually assess the biological, chemical and physical hazards identified during your hazard analysis.

The questions are designed to guide you through the process, as you will see in the examples provided in the next two sections.  

·         More than one step in a process may be involved in controlling a hazard

·         More than one hazard may be controlled by a specific control measure

·         It is important to keep any supporting documents that can justify the rationale for your answers

In a typical establishment, the location of hazards and the number of CCPs depend on the equipment, plant layout, ingredients, process used, and many other factors. Some traditional processing steps that food processors have determined to be CCPs include:

·         Cooking

·         Cooling

·         Dehydration

·         Formulation

·         Pasteurization

·         Sifting