Preventive control plan (PCP)

In a food manufacturing deal, the plan is the document an inspector can review and a buyer can ask to see. Section 86 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations requires a licence holder to prepare, keep and maintain a written plan for any activity identified in the licence, and section 88 requires that it be implemented.

What it must contain

Section 89 requires descriptions of the biological, chemical and physical hazards identified, the control measures and the evidence they work, the critical control points and critical limits, monitoring and corrective action procedures, verification procedures, and documents showing the plan was implemented. Those documents must be kept for two years after they are prepared. Section 86 sets exceptions, including for some exported food and for licence holders below a gross-sales threshold, so a plan may not be required for every activity.

What to ask

Ask for the current plan, confirm it covers every activity in the licence, and ask for the monitoring and corrective action records. The agency publishes guidance and templates for preparing one. The agency says the controls in a plan are based on HACCP principles. See what a food and beverage processor is worth.