HACCP principles must be considered in order. Which of the following is the fourth principle?

HACCP principles must be considered in order. Which of the following is the fourth principle?

• A. Establish critical limits
• B. Establish monitoring procedures
• C. Establish procedures for record keeping and documentation
• D. Verify that the system works

Answer: (B)

Monitoring procedures are the fourth principle. This principle focuses on ongoing checks at each critical control point to confirm the process stays within its established critical limits. By defining how monitoring will be done, who will perform it, how often, and what measurements or observations are required, you create a system that provides real-time or near-real-time data. This enables immediate action if readings drift outside the limits, preventing unsafe product from continuing through production. For example, if a step requires cooking to a specific internal temperature, monitoring would involve regular temperature measurements, proper documentation of the results, and comparison to the critical limit. If a reading falls outside the limit, a corrective action is triggered to bring the process back under control and the event is recorded. The other steps fit in earlier or later: setting the actual critical limits happens before monitoring, documenting records comes after, and verification checks that the overall HACCP plan is working rather than continuously monitoring a single point.

Monitoring procedures are the fourth principle. This principle focuses on ongoing checks at each critical control point to confirm the process stays within its established critical limits. By defining how monitoring will be done, who will perform it, how often, and what measurements or observations are required, you create a system that provides real-time or near-real-time data. This enables immediate action if readings drift outside the limits, preventing unsafe product from continuing through production. For example, if a step requires cooking to a specific internal temperature, monitoring would involve regular temperature measurements, proper documentation of the results, and comparison to the critical limit. If a reading falls outside the limit, a corrective action is triggered to bring the process back under control and the event is recorded. The other steps fit in earlier or later: setting the actual critical limits happens before monitoring, documenting records comes after, and verification checks that the overall HACCP plan is working rather than continuously monitoring a single point.