Critical limits in HACCP: examples per product group
A critical limit in HACCP is the measured value that separates safe from unsafe at a CCP, such as a temperature or a time. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, and a CCP is a critical control point. Article 5 of EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene calls these critical limits. You record the value in your HACCP plan or in the hygiene code for your sector, and you measure against it at a fixed moment. You support the value with a source, such as the hygiene code, a legal standard or a validation of your own process. The NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) names setting critical limits as the third basic principle.
Two temperatures are set in law: chilled storage at no more than 7 °C, and hot holding at at least 60 °C (Article 15 of the Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (Dutch Commodities Decree on the preparation and handling of food) ). For cooking, cooling and times there is no legal figure. Take those values from your hygiene code or from your own justification.
Critical limit, target value and action limit
These three terms are often mixed up, which leads to confusion during an inspection.
| Term | What it means | What you do if it is exceeded |
|---|---|---|
| Critical limit | The value above which the product is no longer safe according to your plan | Reject or re-treat the product, and find the cause |
| Target value | The value you normally work to | Nothing, as long as the measurement stays within the limit |
| Action limit | A value just before the critical limit at which you already intervene | Adjust, check, and if needed inspect the equipment |
An action limit is not mandatory, but it is useful. It prevents you from only acting once you are already past the critical limit.
Template: critical limits per product group
The overview below shows the structure you can use in your plan. Fill in the columns with values from your hygiene code or with your own justification.
| Product group | Process | CCP or control measure | Critical limit | Target value | Measuring moment | Source of the value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw meat and poultry | Receiving | Temperature on arrival | from code or label | fill in | With every delivery | Hygiene code |
| Cooked dishes | Preparation | Core temperature | from code or validation | fill in | Per batch | Hygiene code or validation |
| Chilled prepared dishes | Storage | Cold room temperature | max. 7 °C | fill in | Twice a day | Warenwetbesluit art. 15 and hygiene code |
| Hot-held dishes | Serving | Hot-holding temperature | min. 60 °C | fill in | At serving | Warenwetbesluit art. 15 and hygiene code |
| Cooled dishes | Cooling | Time and final temperature | time from code, final max. 7 °C | fill in | Per batch | Hygiene code |
The “source” column belongs with it. A critical limit without a source is the first question from an inspector: why this value and not another?
Example: cold room critical limit worked out
A fictional restaurant has one cold room for prepared dishes. The restaurant uses 7 °C as the critical limit. For the action limit it chooses 5 °C, so the head chef adjusts before the cold room reaches the limit. The plan records it like this:
| Item | Entry |
|---|---|
| Product | Prepared dishes in cold room 1 |
| Critical limit | Maximum 7 °C (Warenwetbesluit, Article 15) |
| Action limit | 5 °C, set by the head chef |
| Measurement | Twice a day with a calibrated thermometer |
| At the action limit | Check the door, check the seals, measure again after fifteen minutes |
| At the critical limit | Assess the product, reject anything no longer safe, report the fault |
Calibration (ijking) of the thermometer is a point you include in the plan. A measurement taken with an unknown thermometer is not usable during an inspection.
What the auditor or inspector wants to see
During an inspection, the inspector asks three things. First, the value itself and its source. Second, whether the measurement takes place at the right moment and with the right instrument. Third, what happens if the value is exceeded.
Good evidence is a measurement log with date, time, value, initials and, in case of a deviation, the action taken. See HACCP lists for hospitality for the form. You first determine which CCPs you have with the CCP decision tree.
Common mistakes with critical limits
- A critical limit taken from another sector, without checking that it applies to your product
- A critical limit that is in the plan but not on the measurement log, so nobody knows what to compare against
- Measuring with a thermometer that has not been calibrated or that nobody has checked
- An action limit that is the same as the critical limit. Then the action limit is no longer an early warning
- Changing a critical limit without versioning the plan. See when to update your plan
Which principles does this relate to
Critical limits belong to the third principle of HACCP: establishing critical limits. The fourth principle covers how you monitor them. When you determine a CCP with the CCP decision tree, the critical limit follows directly afterwards. The full sequence is on the 7 HACCP principles. For a worked example of a CCP table with critical limits, see the HACCP plan example.
Frequently asked questions about critical limits
Can I choose a critical limit myself?
Yes, but only with a justification. A value from your hygiene code is the easiest to defend, for example 7 °C for the cold room. Your own value requires a validation: you show that the process with that value controls the hazard.
What is the difference between a critical limit and a legal standard?
A legal standard is a fixed requirement from legislation, such as the 7 °C and 60 °C in the Warenwetbesluit. A critical limit in your plan is the value you set for your CCP. It may never be less strict than the law, and it must fit the code for your sector.
How often do I need to calibrate a thermometer?
Your own plan sets the frequency. KHN’s hygiene code for hospitality offers a model form for testing thermometers. A thermometer without a calibration certificate is a weak point in an inspection, so record the calibration date and the agreed frequency.
Sources
- NVWA - Working with a HACCP system
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen , Article 15
- Hygiene code and HACCP, for the values per sector