Which of the following steps is a Critical Control Point (CCP) during the food flow for fried chicken?

Cooking is identified as a Critical Control Point (CCP) in the food flow for fried chicken because it is the stage at which the food is subjected to heat treatment to eliminate harmful microorganisms and pathogens. This process is crucial to ensure the safety and quality of the food being served.

At this stage, maintaining the appropriate cooking temperature and time is essential to achieve sufficient internal temperatures that kill bacteria, such as Salmonella or Campylobacter, which are often associated with poultry. Proper monitoring of cooking temperatures is critical to prevent foodborne illnesses. If the fried chicken does not reach the recommended internal temperature, it can pose serious health risks to consumers.

While storing, serving, and prepping are all important aspects of food safety and handling, they do not have the same direct impact on eliminating pathogens as the cooking step does. Each of those steps plays a role in overall food safety but does not qualify as a CCP in the context of controlling biological hazards in fried chicken specifically.