Level 2 · Lesson 5

Critical limits,
monitoring and
corrective action

You know what a critical control point is. These are the three things that run one: the number that means safe, the checking that proves it, and the fix for when it is missed.

Seeing all three at once

A CCP being monitored against its limit

Every critical control point has a critical limit. Here it is a 75°C core, the line between unsafe and safe.

The first of the three

A critical limit is a measurable line

A critical limit is

the measurable value that separates safe from unsafe at a critical control point. Meet it and the hazard is controlled. Miss it and it is not.

75°C coreCooking and reheating

5°C or belowChilled storage

63°C or aboveHot holding

Time limitHours at room temperature

A limit has to be something you can measure, so it must be a number. A vague target like "cooked properly" cannot be monitored.

The second of the three

Monitoring proves the limit is met

Monitoring is

the planned checking that a critical control point stays within its limit, so a problem is caught the moment it happens.

Who

A named, trained person, so it is never left to chance

What

The measurement, such as the core temperature

How

With the right tool, like a clean, calibrated probe

When

At a set frequency, such as every batch at the cook

The third of the three

Corrective action is decided in advance

Part one

Fix the process

Bring the CCP back under control. If the core is below 75°C, keep cooking and re-probe until it passes.

Part two

Deal with the affected food

Decide what happens to what was made while the limit was missed. Hold it, recook it, or discard it, never serve it.

The key word is planned. Corrective action is written into the HACCP plan before anything goes wrong, so when a limit is missed the response is immediate and the same every time, whoever is on shift.

How they work together

One loop that keeps the CCP safe

The limit sets the target, monitoring watches it, and corrective action catches any miss and returns to monitoring. A CCP is never left to run on its own.

Limit, monitor, correct

Run the cook step

Six batches through a shift. Decide each one, then deal with the food if the limit was missed.

Critical limit75°C core

Does this batch pass?

The limit is a 75°C core. Anything below it is a miss.

Your turn

The probe reads below the limit

At the cook step, the critical limit is a 75°C core. A chef probes a chicken breast and it reads 68°C. What should happen?

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The five things to remember

1A critical limit is a measurable value that separates safe from unsafe at a CCP

2A limit must be a number, because a vague target cannot be monitored

3Monitoring is the planned checking that a CCP stays within its limit

4Corrective action is what you do when a limit is missed, planned in advance

5Corrective action fixes the process and deals with the affected food

Sample question

One question from the quiz

What is a critical limit?

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You can run a CCP

Limit, monitor, correct. That is a critical control point in operation. The last two lessons of Level 2 cover the programmes that support it and where you fit in. The quiz is where you prove what you know and earn a certificate recognised by TrustBite. One payment covers all three levels, so Levels 1 and 3 are included at no extra cost.

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Critical limits,monitoring andcorrective action