Deficiencies in _______ and _______ are the two main causes of failure of an establishment's food safety system.

• A. design and execution
• B. design and operation
• C. structure and execution
• D. planning and execution

Answer: (A)

This question tests the idea that a food safety system fails when its plan isn’t well designed or isn’t carried out properly. Design covers the planned approach—the HACCP plan, control measures, critical limits, monitoring, verification, and the overall structure of how hazards will be controlled. Execution is how that plan is actually put into practice—everyone following procedures, accurate monitoring, timely corrective actions, and proper recordkeeping. If the design is flawed, hazards may not be adequately controlled from the outset. If execution is flawed, even a solid design won’t prevent safety failures. Therefore, deficiencies in design and execution are the main causes of a system’s failure.