Which food service system is known to have the fewest critical control points (CCPs)?

The assembly serve food service system is recognized for having the fewest critical control points (CCPs) compared to other systems. In this model, food is prepared and cooked off-site and then brought to the service location, where it is simply assembled and served. The primary processes in assembly serve typically involve reheating pre-cooked or pre-prepared meals rather than from-scratch cooking.

Since the food often requires minimal handling, there are fewer opportunities for contamination, which in turn leads to fewer critical control points that need to be monitored to ensure food safety. The limited need for cooking reduces the complexity of food safety management, focusing mainly on reheating and serving processes.

On the other hand, systems like commissary, ready prepared, and conventional involve more intensive cooking and preparation processes, which inherently require more critical control points to manage potential hazards such as temperature control, cooking times, and cross-contamination during food handling.