Step 7 of 12, Principle 2. A is a step where a control measure essential to a significant is applied. Annex IV gives an example . It is a tool and not the only way: Codex allows other approaches, including expert consultation.
The four questions in the Codex example tree
Q1. Can the significant hazard be controlled to an acceptable level at this step by prerequisite programmes such as GHPs?Yes: this step is not a CCP. No: go to Q2.
Q2. Do specific control measures for the hazard exist at this step?No: this step is not a CCP, so evaluate later steps. If none has one, modify the process or product. Yes: go to Q3.
Q3. Will a subsequent step prevent or eliminate the hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level?Yes: that later step should be the CCP. No: go to Q4.
Q4. Can this step specifically prevent or eliminate the hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level?Yes: this step is a CCP. No: modify the step, process or product, and redo the .
| Step and significant hazard | Q1 GHP enough? | Q2 Specific control here? | Q3 Later step? | Q4 This step? | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 on raw chicken | No | Yes, limited: receiving temperature | Yes: cook | Not asked | Not a CCP. Cook is. |
| 1 in spices | No | No: reduces but cannot remove them | Not asked | Not asked | Not a CCP. Evaluate later steps. |
| 1 Undeclared in a bought ingredient | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 2 Raw drip onto cooked food | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 3 and 4 or wrong recipe | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 4 Survival of | No | Yes | No, on this team's reasoning (see below) | Yes | CCP 1 |
| 4 | No | No | Not asked | Not asked | Not a CCP. Evaluate later steps. |
| 6 Germination, growth and toxin during | No | Yes | No: reheating does not destroy or toxin | Yes | CCP 2 |
| 6 and 7 and contamination after the cook | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 7 Viruses or from handlers | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite |
| 7 Wrong label | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 8 Growth in chilled storage | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 9 Survival of | No | Yes | No: there is no later kill step | Yes | CCP 3 |
| 10 Growth during hot hold | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 11 Wrong answer or shared spoon | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite, greater attention |
| 12 Leftovers reused | Yes | Not asked | Not asked | Not asked | Prerequisite |
If reheating kills the same pathogens, why is cooking a CCP at all?Read strictly, Q3 could say yes: reheat kills vegetative cells, so cook is not a CCP. This team says no. The reheat was set for the small numbers that might be left after a good cook and a clean step, not for the load in raw chicken. An undercooked batch would also sit in the and chilled steps with live in it. also says that where measures at two steps combine to control one , both can be CCPs. This shows why a tree supports judgement but does not replace it.
What does 'prerequisite, greater attention' mean? recognises that some GHPs need more care than routine ones, such as and recording. Its own example is cleaning food contact surfaces to control in a environment. These GHPs have or criteria and records, but they do not stop the batch the way a CCP does.
Why aren't allergens a CCP here? control is mostly about separation, cleaning and correct information across many steps. There is no single step with a measurable that a deviation can be caught against, and heat cannot remove an allergen. So it fits well-run with . Many manufacturers do make a label check a CCP, because a wrong label reaches thousands of people. For a food maker with a packaged product, that may be the better call.
Why isn't chilled storage a CCP?A cool room, a 5-day use-by and a hold-and-assess rule can control this , and the food goes on to a reheat. Many plans do make cold storage a CCP, especially for food that is eaten cold with no later reheat, or food with long shelf life. If this product were served cold, the team would answer differently. Either choice needs reasons in writing.
Does a prerequisite control matter less than a CCP?No. A wrong answer can kill. The difference is how the control works and how it gets managed, not how much it matters. notes that GHP criteria may be observed or measured, and a failure of a GHP still needs correcting.
What if no step can control a significant hazard? says the process or product must be changed. For example, if the kitchen had no way of 40 kg in time, the answer would be smaller batches or new equipment, not a softer .