CHA Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CHA exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CHA Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CHA Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample CHA Questions & Answers
1. A HACCP plan for ready-to-eat deli meats identifies lethality as a CCP. The critical limit is an internal temperature of 165°F. What verification activity would BEST confirm the CCP is under control?
Calibrating thermometers ensures the monitoring equipment provides accurate readings, directly verifying CCP control.
2. An auditor finds that temperature monitoring records for a CCP are missing for five consecutive days. This finding is BEST classified as a:
Missing CCP monitoring records for five consecutive days represents a major nonconformity because it indicates a significant failure in the HACCP system's record-keeping requirements.
3. During a HACCP prerequisite program audit, which electrical documentation is most critical to verify?
Current panel schedules, single-line diagrams, and inspection records demonstrate that the electrical system is documented, maintained, and legally inspected.
4. A facility's HACCP corrective action record states 'product reworked' but provides no further detail. As an auditor, you would classify this as:
Stating 'product reworked' without documenting the safety evaluation used to justify rework is an incomplete corrective action record that does not demonstrate product safety was confirmed.
5. What is the role of corrective actions during verification?
During verification, if any deficiencies or deviations are identified, corrective actions are crucial to restore the system to a state of control. These actions address the root cause of the problem, prevent recurrence, and ensure that any affected product is handled appropriately. This step confirms that the HACCP system is dynamic and capable of self-correction, maintaining its integrity and effectiveness in ensuring food safety.
6. A food manufacturer's validation study for a thermal kill step should primarily demonstrate that the process achieves:
Validation must prove the CCP achieves the intended lethality against the relevant target pathogen under worst-case processing conditions.