Monitoring (principle 4)
- These are planned observations or measurements to know whether the CCP is under control and to spot a failure in time to correct it before the food reaches the customer (Notice 2022/C 355/01, Annex II, section 8).
- The plan says who monitors, when and how. Where possible, monitoring is continuous; if not, at a frequency that allows a reaction.
- Records are signed by whoever monitors and, when they are reviewed, by the responsible person who reviews them.
- Measuring is not always needed: looking at the cold-room thermometer or checking when you cut that the food is cooked through may be enough. With calibrated equipment and a fixed procedure (an oven with its programme), you do not need to measure every item.
- If the limit is exceeded, everything produced since the last correct check is reviewed.
Corrective actions (principle 5)
They are decided before they are needed, so they can be applied without hesitation (section 9). Each one states:
- Who applies it.
- What is done to correct the process.
- What is done with the affected product.
- How it is recorded: date, time, what was done, by whom and the follow-up check.
- What is changed so it does not happen again.
If the same correction keeps being needed, the good practices or the process itself must be reviewed.
In practiceAt 8:00, the prepared-meals cold room reads 9 °C and its limit is 4 °C. The last
correct record is from 20:00 yesterday. The planned action is applied: what has been inside since then is assessed, what can be saved
is moved to another cold room, the technician is called and everything is written down with the time and a signature.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Article 5(2)(d) and (e) · Commission Notice 2022/C 355/01 on food safety management systems (good hygiene practices and procedures based on the HACCP principles), Annex II, sections 8 and 9