Critical control point (CCP)

Legal basis

EU — applies in Austria and Germany

Reg. (EC) 852/2004 Art. 5(2)(b) to (e): identify critical control points, establish critical limits, monitor the points and establish corrective actions.1,2,3,4

EU — applies in Austria and Germany

The Regulation itself does not define a CCP; the definition is in the Commission’s guidance. Recital 15: in some businesses no critical control points can be identified, and good hygiene practice can then replace monitoring them.5,6

AT — Austria

No national rule; the EU Regulation applies directly. According to the WKO handbook, small and medium-sized hospitality businesses often cannot identify a CCP; the core temperature of 75 °C it mentions is an example, not law.1,7

DE — Germany

No national rule; Art. 5 of Reg. 852/2004 applies directly.1

What the inspector wants to see

• Which steps have you identified as CCPs, or how does your hazard analysis justify that none is needed?8
• Which critical limit applies, and how and how often do you measure?2,3,7
• What do you do when the critical limit is not met?4
• Are the measuring devices checked?9

Common mistakes

• Too many steps declared CCPs where good hygiene practice is enough; the guidance names roasting or grilling in a restaurant as possibly not a CCP.10
• A CCP without a set critical limit or without a response defined in advance.2,4
• No CCP set, but no written justification from the hazard analysis either.8

Practise, read, print

The guide is in German for now.