CHA Advanced Diagnostics & Troubleshooting 2

Question 1

During a HACCP audit, you discover that a CCP for cooking shows consistent temperature deviations only on Monday mornings. What is the MOST appropriate diagnostic step?

Accepted Answer

Investigate weekend shutdown and startup procedures as the root cause

Answer

Pattern-based deviations (e.g., only Mondays) strongly suggest a process variable tied to startup after shutdown, making weekend procedures the logical root cause focus.

Question 2

A HACCP team finds that their water activity (aw) monitoring records show values above the critical limit, yet finished product tests show no pathogen growth. What should the auditor conclude?

Accepted Answer

The monitoring method or instrument may be inaccurate and requires validation

Answer

Discrepancy between CCP monitoring results and finished product data indicates the monitoring method or instrument may lack accuracy or calibration, requiring validation.

Question 3

An auditor observes that corrective action records for a pH CCP consistently show the same action ('product held and retested') without any root cause analysis. This indicates a failure in which HACCP principle?

Accepted Answer

Principle 5 – Establishing Corrective Actions

Answer

Principle 5 requires corrective actions to include identifying and eliminating the root cause; repeating only 'hold and retest' without root cause analysis is a deficiency in this principle.

Question 4

A thermometer used at a cooking CCP reads 2°F lower than the reference standard during calibration. The critical limit is 165°F internal temperature. What is the correct response?

Accepted Answer

Adjust the thermometer or apply a +2°F correction factor to all readings

Answer

A known calibration offset should be corrected by adjusting the instrument or applying a documented correction factor so that actual process temperatures are accurately captured.

Question 5

During a HACCP system review, an auditor finds that a new packaging supplier was approved but the HACCP plan was not updated to reflect potential new chemical hazards from packaging materials. This is BEST described as:

Accepted Answer

A failure to conduct a hazard analysis update triggered by a system change

Answer

Any change to ingredients, suppliers, or materials triggers a mandatory hazard analysis reassessment to determine if new hazards have been introduced.

(CHA) Certified HACCP Auditor Practice Test

(CHA) Certified HACCP Auditor Practice Test

CHA Advanced Diagnostics & Troubleshooting 2