Setting the Critical Limits for Critical Control Points in HACCP

Setting Critical Limits at HACCP CCPs

When critical control points are set in the HACCP system, upper and lower limits must also be set. If a CCP is breached outside its critical limit, food safety risk materialises and the food can become a source of harm to the consumer.

Each CCP value is set with the acceptable range above and below it stated in parallel: the deviation tolerance must be explicit.

The CCP limits must be set on a scientific basis, because they directly affect food safety. Academic publications and peer-reviewed data on the specific food are useful references. Legal requirements and the Turkish Food Codex must be checked, and the limits must align with the applicable legal limits.

Two values are set at each CCP: the lower critical limit and the upper critical limit. The measured value must not fall below the lower limit and must not exceed the upper limit.

How Critical Limits Are Set

• Review the published literature and the legal requirements for the CCP in question.
• If the CCP is not covered in the regulations for the specific food, the operation can determine the values using its own experts together with accredited laboratories.
• CCP values must rely on documented, reference-traceable evidence.

Variables Used to Characterise Foods at CCPs

• Temperature ranges
• Time windows
• Ambient humidity
• pH values
• Water activity / water content
• Chloride content in food or water
• Visual and organoleptic changes