What this is
What is a CCP monitoring log?
What is a CCP monitoring log?
A CCP monitoring log is the record of measurements taken at a critical control point, such as a cook temperature, a chill time or a metal detector check, at the frequency the HACCP plan specifies. It shows, reading by reading, that the point was under control, and triggers corrective action the moment it was not.
What makes a control point critical rather than just a control?
A CCP is a point at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard, or reduce it to an acceptable level. Failure there is not a quality defect for later rework; unsafe product can leave the process, which is why an out-of-limits reading calls for a hold, not a note for the next shift.
Who is responsible for the reading, and who verifies it?
The operator at the line takes the reading against the critical limit carried onto the log from the HACCP plan. Verification is a separate, later act by someone who did not take the reading, confirming monitoring happened at the required frequency and any deviation was actioned. The two roles are deliberately not the same person.
Scope
When is a ccp monitoring log required?
This log is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work belonging to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use this template when
- A critical control point named in an approved HACCP plan is being monitored at its stated frequency
- A reading has just been taken, in or out of limits, and needs recording against the plan's critical limit
- An out-of-limits reading has occurred and corrective action, hold and verification need linking together
- A shift needs to demonstrate every scheduled reading for its CCPs was actually taken
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links HACCP Plan; feeds Hold and Release Record
Do not use it for
- The HACCP Plan itself, which defines the CCP, its critical limit and monitoring frequency; this log only records against what the plan already set
- HACCP Verification Record, which confirms the whole HACCP system is working, not a single shift's readings
- Prerequisite Programme Plan, which covers the hygiene and maintenance conditions HACCP depends on rather than control point readings
- Statistical Process Control Log, which tracks process variation for quality and is not a substitute for a safety-critical limit check
- Anything outside KnowQuality, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which Codex requirements does this satisfy?
HACCP is not prescriptive about the monitoring form itself, but Codex and the US preventive controls rule are specific about what monitoring, correction and verification must accomplish, and those requirements map onto the log's sections.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| Codex Principle 3 | Critical limits must be established for each CCP and available at the point of monitoring | Header |
| Codex Principle 4 | Monitoring procedures for each CCP must be established and applied at the required frequency | Readings |
| Codex Principle 5 | Corrective action is established for use when monitoring indicates a CCP is not under control | Readings |
| Codex Principle 6 | Verification procedures confirm the HACCP system, including monitoring, is working as intended | Verification |
| FSMA 21 CFR 117.145 | Monitoring of preventive controls with adequate frequency to provide assurance they are consistently performed | Readings |
| FSMA 21 CFR 117.150 | Corrective action procedures when preventive controls are not properly implemented | Readings |
| FSMA 21 CFR 117.155 | Verification activities, including review of records within the required timeframe | Verification |
What it does not cover
- HACCP Plan, which is the hazard analysis and critical control point plan defining the CCP, its critical limit and monitoring frequency in the first place.
- HACCP Verification Record, which confirms the HACCP plan as a whole is followed and still works, not that one shift's readings were taken.
- Prerequisite Programme Plan, which covers the hygiene, maintenance and pest control conditions HACCP depends on, and does not record CCP readings itself.
- Hold and Release Record, which carries a held product's disposition through to release, reject or rework; the log only raises the hold.
- Product Nonconformance Report, which investigates why a deviation happened and what wider action is needed, beyond the immediate response on the shift record.
Global
CCP Monitoring Log requirements by country
Monitoring the CCP is expected everywhere HACCP applies, but only the US preventive controls rule sets a specific record-review timeframe; elsewhere the obligation is to monitor and act, with the format left to the operator.
FSMA 21 CFR Part 117 Subpart C (preventive controls); FSIS HACCP for meat and poultry
Monitoring, corrective action and verification records are required, with verification reviewed within a specified timeframe.
An FDA or FSIS inspection asks for the monitoring and verification records together, and a gap between when a deviation occurred and when it was reviewed is itself a finding.
Regulation (EC) 852/2004 (retained), HACCP-based procedures; Food Safety Act 1990
Food business operators must maintain procedures based on HACCP principles, including monitoring and corrective action.
Enforcement officers assess whether the monitoring record shows the CCP was actually controlled, not just that a template was completed.
Codex Alimentarius CXC 1-1969, HACCP Annex, Principles 4-7
Monitoring, corrective action, verification and record-keeping are four of the seven HACCP principles, applied regardless of national implementation.
Certification schemes built on Codex, including most GFSI-recognised schemes, audit the log as direct evidence the plan is a live system rather than a document.
How to complete it
How to complete a ccp monitoring log, step by step
The template prompts for a value and a yes-or-no. What determines whether the record survives an audit is what happens in the minutes after a reading falls outside the limit.
The limit belongs on the log, not only in the plan, because the operator judges the reading in real time. A log that only records the value and leaves the operator to look up the limit elsewhere invites the marginal case being rounded to a pass.
Within Limits offers a middle answer between yes and no, and that middle answer needs a rule attached in advance: whether it triggers the same corrective action and hold sequence as a fail, or a lighter response. Leaving it to individual judgement on the night produces records an auditor will read as inconsistent control.
When correction started and how far back the last good reading was determine how much product is implicated, not the fact a deviation was recorded. A correction logged without a start time has recorded that something was done, not what it affected.
The form names the requirement that the verifier is not the person who took the reading, but a rota with one person on shift makes that impossible to meet honestly. The judgement call is arranging cover so independent verification is actually available.
What auditors find
Most common ccp monitoring log findings
The reading itself is rarely the problem. The findings concern what happens once a reading falls outside the limit, and whether the record shows the gap was closed.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Within Limits recorded as No or Marginal with corrective action and hold fields left blank. | Codex Principle 5 | Treat the conditional fields as mandatory the instant an out-of-limits answer is given. |
| Verified By is the same person recorded as Checked By for the readings being verified. | FSMA 21 CFR 117.155 | Enforce independence in the workflow by excluding the shift's own monitors from the verifier list. |
| A scheduled reading is missing from the shift with no deviation recorded against it. | Codex Principle 4 | Compare Readings Taken against Readings Due and raise a deviation for any shortfall. |
| Instrument used for the reading is not recorded, so its calibration status cannot be checked. | Codex Principle 4 | Require Instrument Used and Equipment ID on every reading, not only when convenient. |
| Time Corrective Action Started is blank despite a logged deviation. | FSMA 21 CFR 117.150 | Make the start time required the moment a deviation is recorded, so the response interval is on the record. |
| Quantity Held or Hold ID is missing for product covered by an out-of-limits reading. | Codex Principle 5 | Link the deviation directly to a Hold and Release Record at the point it is raised, not afterwards. |
Case in point
Case in point: the deviation that was recorded and never held
A cook line for a ready-to-eat product logged a chill-time reading as marginal at the end of a night shift. The operator noted the value, ticked Marginal, and moved on because the next reading, thirty minutes later, was back within limits. No corrective action was recorded and no hold quantity entered; the shift summary showed zero deviations because Marginal had been treated as a pass in practice, even though it scored below a clean Yes.
Three weeks later a customer complaint led to a review of the batch, and that night's monitoring record was the only evidence available. It showed a marginal reading with nothing attached: no time, no action, no hold. The investigation could not establish whether the affected product had been separated from the rest of the batch, because the fields that would have shown that were empty, not because the incident had been assessed and cleared.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
4 sections
- Reference
- QUA-048
- Archetype
- Log
- Record ID
- CCP-2026-000
- Scoring
- Within limits percent
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- Codex, FSMA
- Links
- Links HACCP Plan; feeds Hold
- Tags
- Food safety, CCP
- Sections
- 4
- Fields
- 44
- Follow up fields
- 8
- Repeating sections
- 1
- Links out
- 4
Header
17 fieldsLog ID*
Auto sequence. Format CCP-2026-00000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Raised By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Line*
Shift*
Line Lead
Batch Number*
Numeric key joining to your ERP batch record.
Links to External system reference
Product*
Production Date*
HACCP Plan ID*
Links to QUA-046 HACCP ID
CCP Number*
Critical Limit*
Carried from the plan for reference at the point of use.
Monitoring Frequency*
- Quarterly or better4 pts
- Annually3 pts
- Every 2 to 3 years1 pt
- None0 pts
Out Of Limits Means Stop
A reading outside the critical limit is actioned before the next reading is taken. Product from the last good reading forward is held. This is not a paperwork exercise.
Readings
Repeats14 fieldsReading Time*
Measured Value*
Within Limits*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Instrument Used
Equipment ID
Links to QUA-064 Equipment ID
Checked By*
Deviation Detail
Time Corrective Action Started
Corrective Action Taken
Back To Last Good Reading
Quantity Held
Hold ID
Links to QUA-003 Hold ID
Process Brought Back Into Limits
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Verified Before Restart
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Shift summary
6 fieldsReadings Taken*
Readings Due*
Monitoring Compliance Percent*
A missed reading is a deviation. There is no product data for that period.
Deviations This Shift*
All Deviations Actioned*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Case ID
Thread key
Verification
7 fieldsVerified By*
Must not be the person who took the readings.
Independence Confirmed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Verification Date*
Monitor*
Signature*
Verifier*
Second Signature*
QUA-048 · record IDs look like CCP-2026-000 · Links HACCP Plan; feeds Hold
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The reading is the easy part. What fails is the chain after an out-of-limits value: the hold that never gets raised, the verification that isn't independent, and the missed reading nobody flags as a deviation.
Holds the log against the HACCP plan's stated frequency, flags missed readings as deviations, and confirms a hold record exists for every out-of-limits value.
Watches for deviations with no corrective action logged within a set window and raises the gap to the food safety lead before the shift closes out.
Links the instrument recorded on each reading to its calibration status, so a result is never accepted from equipment that is overdue.
This template lives in KnowQuality — quality and food safety. HACCP, nonconformance, traceability, laboratory and customer complaints.
Meet KnowQuality→Glossary
CCP Monitoring Log definitions and key terms
- Critical control point
- A point at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.
- Critical limit
- The maximum or minimum value to which a measured parameter must be controlled at a CCP to prevent, eliminate or reduce the hazard.
- Deviation
- A failure to meet a critical limit, including a missed reading, which requires corrective action rather than a note.
- Corrective action
- The action taken when monitoring shows a CCP is not under control, covering the fix and the disposition of affected product.
- Verification
- An independent check, separate from monitoring, confirming the CCP was monitored at the required frequency and deviations properly actioned.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about ccp monitoring log
What counts as a deviation on a CCP monitoring log?+
Any reading outside the critical limit, and any scheduled reading not taken at all. A missed reading is not neutral; there is no product data for that interval, and treating it as anything other than a deviation understates how much of the batch was unmonitored.
Can the same person take the reading and verify it?+
No. Verification exists to catch what monitoring alone would miss, including monitoring that did not happen at the stated frequency, and that check has no value if the verifier is checking their own work. The form names this requirement directly.
Does a marginal reading need the same response as a failed one?+
It should, unless the plan states a different rule for that band. A marginal category treated as a pass in practice, while scored lower on the form, is a way for a real deviation to avoid the response it should trigger.
What has to happen before production can restart after a deviation?+
The process needs to be verified back within limits before restart, not assumed from the fact that the next reading looked fine. Both fields exist because a deviation that self-corrects still needs a documented check before the line runs again.
How far back does a hold go when a reading fails?+
Back to the last good reading, not just the failed one. Everything produced since the previous confirmed in-limit reading is implicated, because the point control was actually lost is unknown until proven otherwise.
Why record the instrument used for every reading?+
A reading is only as trustworthy as the device that took it. An uncalibrated or wrongly identified instrument undermines every reading logged against it, and that link is only recoverable if it was recorded at the time, not reconstructed afterwards.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in HACCP and Food Safety
Unannounced Audit Readiness Check
Checks whether the site would pass an audit arriving today, covering records, standards and area condition
Product Nonconformance Report
Records product that does not meet specification
Hold and Release Record
Places suspect product on hold and records the decision to release, rework or scrap it
HACCP Plan
The hazard analysis and critical control point plan for a product or process
HACCP Verification Record
Confirms the HACCP plan is being followed and still works
Prerequisite Programme Plan
Sets out the basic conditions that must be in place for HACCP to work, covering hygiene, maintenance, pest control and training
More in Food Safety
HACCP Plan
The hazard analysis and critical control point plan for a product or process
HACCP Verification Record
Confirms the HACCP plan is being followed and still works
Prerequisite Programme Plan
Sets out the basic conditions that must be in place for HACCP to work, covering hygiene, maintenance, pest control and training
Allergen Control Plan
Sets out how allergens are managed from receipt through to labelling, including segregation and changeover
Allergen Changeover Check
Confirms the line is clear of the previous allergen before the next product runs
Glass and Brittle Plastic Register
Lists every item of glass or hard plastic in production areas, with its location and condition
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- Codex Alimentarius CXC 1-1969, HACCP Annex, Principles 3 through 7
- FSMA 21 CFR Part 117 Subpart C, sections 117.145, 117.150 and 117.155
- Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, HACCP-based procedures (UK retained)
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.