Determination of Preventive

and Control Measures in

Food Safety
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Agenda
• Introduction to Control Measures
• Control Measures and Risk
• What are Control Measures
• Review of Determination Models
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Useful References
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Safefood 360 Resources
A number of useful Whitepapers and other references are available free from our website – safefood360.com/free-resources/
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Safefood 360 Resources
Whitepaper - Determining Control Measures in HACCP
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Safefood 360 Resources
Whitepaper - Design of CCP Monitoring Programs
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Introduction
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Introduction to Control Measures
• HACCP is a risk assessment and management tool
• Designed to help food companies identify specific hazards within their processes
• Determine their significance (RISK)
• As part of this requirement, Control Measures must then be developed
• To do this you must have a clear understanding of the fundamental nature of food safety

Challenges with Control Measures

• Various terms and definitions used to describe control measures
• Not always clear what is the appropriate control measure to be employed
• Confusion between control measures e.g. CCP’s, oPRP’s and PRP’s
• Determination models i.e. Decision Trees frequently cause more confusion than clarity
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Fundamentals of Food Safety Management

Step

Identified Hazard

Risk Assessment

Control Measure Appropriate Level of Protection

How best to identify the appropriate level of
control and therefore the Control Measure CONTROL MEASURE

Validate Control Measure

Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Quick Look at Risk

Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Definition of Risk

“the scientific evaluation of known or

potential adverse health effects resulting
from human exposure to foodborne
hazards” - WHO
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Typical Risk Assessment Model for HACCP
Below is a typical Probability by Severity risk assessment model employed in HACCP. The objective is to determine significance of the hazard and if
determination of control is required

Probability Severity RISK

Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

What are Control Measures?

Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
What is a Control Measure?
A control measure may be defined as…

Control Measure
Food safety action or activity that can be used to prevent or eliminate
a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
What Type of Control Measures do the Standards Mention?

ISO 22000 FDA – FSMA Rules Tesco Standard

Allows for PRP’s, operational PRP’s and Allows for “Preventive Controls” including Allows for PRP control measure and
CCP’s CCP’s CCP’s

BRC IFS Woolworths Quality Assurance

Standard
Allows for PRP’s and CCP’s Allows for “Control Points – CP” and
CCP’s Allows for CCP’s and QCP’s
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Why do we need Control Measure?
• Control measures are used to eliminate or reduce the risk of a food hazard causing an adverse health impact to the
consumer
• This can often be referred to as Risk Mitigation
• Control measure impact on the Probability of occurrence of the Hazard
• They can not alter the nature or severity of a hazard

ABSENCE OF CONTROLS - Risk increases

RISK

PRESENCE OF CONTROLS - Risk reduced or

mitigated
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Type of Control Measures

Critical Control Point Step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable
(CCP) level

Prerequisite Programme Basic conditions and activities that are necessary to maintain a hygienic environment throughout the food chain and are
(PRP) suitable for the production, handling and provision of safe end products and safe food for human consumption.

Operational Prerequisite Identified by the hazard analysis as essential in order to control the likelihood of introducing food safety hazards to and/or
Programme (oPRP) the contamination or proliferation of food safety hazards in the product(s) or in the processing environment.

Control Point (CP) Any step at which biological, chemical, or physical factors can be controlled.

Quality Control Point

A process step at which control is required to prevent or eliminate a quality defect or reduce it to an acceptable level.
(QCP)
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Where does Determination of Control

Measure fit into the Food Safety
Framework?
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Typical Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment Process

Determination HACCP
Hazard Risk Significance of Control
of Control Validation / PCP
Identification Assessment Hazard Planning
Measures
Plan
Appropriate Control
May include CCP’s, PRP’s, oPRP’s, CP’s,
QCP’s or No Control

Use of an appropriate
Determination Model or Decision
Tree is important
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Determination Models
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
What is a Determination Model?
• A determination model is typically a decision tree
• A series of logical questions are answered by the user to arrive at a defined outcome
• In this case the defined outcome is the identification of an appropriate control measure or no control measure
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Level of Determination Models

The HACCP team use no determination model and simple decide based on knowledge if a control is required and the type of
No Model
control

Simple Simple model designed to determine CCP’s or other general controls if required

Codex Relatively simple model focusing mainly on the determination of CCP’s

A detailed model which seeks to determine exactly what control type is required e.g. CCP, oPRP, PRP, QCP, or No Control
Comprehensive .
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
The Hidden Decision Tree
Q1. Is there a hazard at this step? No

Yes

Q2. Does the Certification auditor feel

Yes
the step is a CCP?

No

Q3. Is it possible you largest customer

Yes
will require the step to be a CCP?

No

Q4. Are you unsure whether the step is

Yes No
a CCP or not?

CCP
NOT A CCP
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Simple Model
This is a simple model for the determination of control measure in food safety

1. Hazard Identification and Analysis

2. Risk Assessment

3. Determination of Control Measures

Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Simple Model as a Decision Tree
The simple model can be constructed as a decision tree

HAZARD ANALYSIS – Is there a Hazard at

Q1
this step??

Yes No Control as a Quality Issue

CONDUCT HAZARD ANLAYSIS – Is the

Q2
Hazard Significant?

Yes No

CCP Determination – Is the Step Managed

Q3
as a CCP?

Yes No Control as a PRP, oPRP or CP

CCP
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
CODEX Based Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) – Decision Tree

Q1 Do Preventive Control Measures exist?

Yes No Modify process, step or product

Is control at this step necessary for safety? Yes

No Not a CCP STOP

Is the Step specifically designed to eliminate or reduce the likely occurrence of the hazard
Q2 Yes
to an acceptable level?

No

Q3 Could contamination of identified hazards occur in excess of acceptable levels?

Yes No Not a CCP STOP

Will a subsequent Step eliminate the identified hazards or reduce likely occurrence to an
Q4
acceptable level?

Yes Not a CCP STOP No CCP

Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Comprehensive Decision Tree Model
Q1 Is there a food safety hazard at this step?

Yes No Control as a QCP if relevant

Q2 Do control measures exist for the identified hazards?

Yes No

Q3 Is control necessary? Yes Modify process, step or product

No Not a CCP STOP

Q4 Is the Step specifically designed to eliminate or reduce likely occurrence of the hazard to and acceptable level? Yes

No

Q5 Could contamination occur or increase to an unacceptable level?

Yes No Not a CCP STOP

Q6 Will a subsequent Step eliminate or reduce the hazard to an acceptable level? Yes Not a CCP STOP

No

Q7 Will a subsequent Step eliminate or reduce the hazard to an acceptable level?

Yes No

Q8 Is the action a monitoring or measuring action, specific to this step?

Yes No

CONTROL AS AN oPRP CONTROL AS A PRP CONTROL AS A CCP

Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Summary
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety
Summary
• Don’t be too preoccupied with Control Measure terms e.g. CCP’s, oPRP’s
• Select an appropriate control for the hazard and the risk presented
• Use a decision tree model appropriate to your needs
• Use risk assessment to minimise the amount of Determination of Control work
Determination of Preventive and Control Measures in Food Safety

Questions