The requirement that applies today
Limits at CCPs and criteria for OPRPs are specified, and the rationale for them is documented. A critical limit at a CCP has to be measurable, and staying within it has to ensure the acceptable level is not exceeded. An action criterion for an OPRP has to be measurable or observable, and staying within it has to support the conclusion that the hazard stays at or below its acceptable level.
ISO 22000:2018, 8.5.4.2 Hazard control plan: critical limits and action criteria; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 8.5.4.2.
What the draft does
Subclause of 8.5.4; not listed separately in the public contents: The public contents name 8.5.4 at this position but do not list its subclauses. The subclause structure shown here comes from the held current edition; whether the draft keeps it is sold by ISO and not held here.
Source: public contents and foreword at 8.5.4.2, retrieved 2026-10-19.
Why this clause matters
The distinction between a measurable critical limit and an observable action criterion is practical, not academic. It decides what the operator records and what an auditor can test. The common failure is an action criterion so vague that no one can tell whether it was met.
Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor
For 8.5.4.2, these are the artefacts we suggest discussing with your auditor. The standard publishes no evidence list, so this is our reading, not a requirement.
- Each limit or criterion with its value, unit and basis
- The rationale linking the limit to the acceptable level
- Evidence that the monitoring method can measure the limit reliably
Where systems usually fall short
- A limit with no unit or no basis
- An action criterion such as "clean" with no observable definition
How to prepare
Rewrite one vague criterion as something a new operator could judge the same way you would. If you cannot, the criterion is not ready for a transition audit.
Dates
Cross-references
Source
Clause 8.5.4.2. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 8.5.4.2 is sold by ISO and not held here; the sources page lists what is.
Not legal advice; does not certify; our words, not the standard's, and the planning date is an estimate.