Monitoring

To monitor means to carry out a planned sequence of observations or measurements to assess whether a control measure is under control. It answers one question: are we inside the limit right now?

Each CCP needs a clear monitoring plan that says what is checked, how, when and by whom. For example: the core temperature of each batch of chicken, by clean probe in the thickest part, at the end of cooking, by the cook in charge.

The method and frequency should find a failure in time to act. If you check a chilled delivery only after it has been put away, you may not be able to tell what was affected.

Monitoring should be continuous where possible. A data logger on a cooking tunnel or a chiller records all the time. Where monitoring is not continuous, it should be frequent enough to show that the limit has been met and to limit the amount of food affected by any failure. Check the worst case too. Probe the largest item in the batch, or the one in the coolest part of the oven. How fast a failure can happen matters. A fall in temperature during pasteurisation can happen quickly, so it needs closer watching than a slow rise in a cold store.

Physical and chemical checks are usually preferred to microbiological tests. Temperature, time and pH give results straight away. A laboratory result can take days, and by then the food may have been eaten.

Watch for trends. If a fridge with a target of 5°C reads 3°C, 4°C, 6°C and then 7°C, it has not yet passed an 8°C limit. But it is heading the wrong way. Codex says adjustments should be made before a deviation occurs. Check the door seal, the load and the setting now.

People matter as much as equipment. The person doing the check should know what to do if it fails. A named person with knowledge and authority should review the results. Records should be signed or initialled by the person who did the check, and should show the result and the time.