CHA Safety Systems & Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Codex Alimentarius document serves as the foundational international reference for HACCP system implementation?
- CAC/GL 63-2007
- CAC/RCP 1-1969 (Rev. 4-2003) (Correct answer)
- CAC/MRL 2-2019
- CAC/STAN 193-1995
Correct answer: CAC/RCP 1-1969 (Rev. 4-2003)
CAC/RCP 1-1969 (Rev. 4-2003), the General Principles of Food Hygiene, contains Annex on HACCP and is the primary Codex HACCP reference.
Question 2: An auditor discovers that a facility's HACCP plan lists pasteurization as a CCP but has no written procedure for what to do when the pasteurizer malfunctions mid-run. Which HACCP principle is most directly violated?
- Principle 2 – Identify Critical Control Points
- Principle 5 – Establish Corrective Actions (Correct answer)
- Principle 6 – Establish Verification Procedures
- Principle 7 – Establish Record-Keeping
Correct answer: Principle 5 – Establish Corrective Actions
Principle 5 requires that corrective actions be pre-established for each CCP to address deviations when they occur.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the role of an 'operational prerequisite program' (oPRP) as defined in ISO 22000?
- A control measure that replaces CCPs for low-risk facilities
- A PRP identified as essential to control a food safety hazard but managed with action criteria rather than critical limits (Correct answer)
- A regulatory requirement independent of HACCP
- A documentation system for supplier audits
Correct answer: A PRP identified as essential to control a food safety hazard but managed with action criteria rather than critical limits
An oPRP controls significant food safety hazards using action criteria rather than the strict critical limits applied at CCPs.
Question 4: During an internal audit, records show that the temperature log for a walk-in cooler has entries recorded every 4 hours but the HACCP plan specifies continuous monitoring. What type of finding should this be classified as?
- Observation only, since refrigeration rarely fails
- Nonconformance, because monitoring frequency deviates from the approved plan (Correct answer)
- Opportunity for improvement, since 4-hour checks are industry standard
- Not applicable, since coolers are PRPs not CCPs
Correct answer: Nonconformance, because monitoring frequency deviates from the approved plan
Deviating from the approved monitoring frequency specified in the HACCP plan constitutes a nonconformance regardless of outcome.
Question 5: A food manufacturer's validation study for a thermal kill step should primarily demonstrate that the process achieves:
- At least a 2-log reduction of indicator organisms
- The required log reduction of the target pathogen under worst-case conditions (Correct answer)
- Compliance with customer-specified cook time and temperature
- A 12-log reduction of Clostridium botulinum spores
Correct answer: The required log reduction of the target pathogen under worst-case conditions
Validation must prove the CCP achieves the intended lethality against the relevant target pathogen under worst-case processing conditions.
Question 6: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are best described in the HACCP context as:
- The upper tier of the food safety hierarchy, above CCPs
- Prerequisite programs that provide the hygiene foundation for effective HACCP implementation (Correct answer)
- Optional quality measures that supplement but do not support HACCP
- Corrective action procedures triggered by CCP deviations
Correct answer: Prerequisite programs that provide the hygiene foundation for effective HACCP implementation
GMPs function as prerequisite programs that maintain a hygienic manufacturing environment, which is the foundation upon which HACCP operates.
Question 7: In a HACCP audit, which document would most directly verify that the scope of the hazard analysis covers all product formulations currently manufactured?
- The corrective action log
- The product description and intended use documentation (Correct answer)
- Supplier qualification records
- The facility sanitation schedule
Correct answer: The product description and intended use documentation
Product descriptions and intended use documents define what the HACCP plan covers, allowing auditors to compare against actual production.
CHA Safety Systems & Standards 3
Which Codex Alimentarius document serves as the foundational international reference for HACCP system implementation?