Before a food business can implement an effective HACCP system, it must first establish the basic conditions that support safe food production. These foundational controls are known as prerequisite programs (PRPs).
A prerequisite program is a documented procedure that helps create and maintain a hygienic environment throughout food handling, preparation, storage, and service. PRPs address everyday food safety risks before they become hazards that require critical control points (CCPs) within a HACCP plan.
Without effective prerequisite programs, even the best HACCP plan will struggle to control food safety risks consistently.
A prerequisite program (PRP) is a documented set of procedures and conditions that creates a safe environment for food production, preparation, storage, and service.
PRPs control general food safety risks that exist across the entire operation rather than focusing on a specific process step. They establish the basic hygiene and operational standards that allow a HACCP system to function effectively.
Examples include:
In practical terms, PRPs help prevent hazards before they need to be managed through a critical control point.
Food hygiene depends on having the right systems, facilities, equipment, and staff practices in place to prevent contamination.
Several key prerequisites support good food hygiene in food businesses.
Food handlers must understand how contamination occurs and what actions prevent it.
Training should cover:
In the UK, food handlers are not legally required to hold a food hygiene certificate, but food business operators must ensure staff receive adequate training appropriate to their role.
Food safety relies on daily operational controls that reduce risks throughout production and service.
Examples include:
These controls help prevent biological, physical, and chemical contamination.
Digital monitoring helps teams complete food safety checks consistently and on time, while giving managers real-time visibility into compliance across all locations.
The design and layout of food premises directly affect food safety.
Food businesses should ensure:
A well-designed facility makes it easier to maintain hygienic conditions every day.
Food handlers need appropriate tools to maintain hygiene standards.
Examples include:
Without suitable cleaning resources, contamination risks increase significantly.
A food safety management system brings together procedures that help identify, control, monitor, and verify food safety risks.
For most food businesses, this includes implementing a HACCP-based system. Understanding what HACCP is and how it applies to your operation is an essential step before developing more advanced food safety controls.
Prerequisite programs are the foundation upon which a HACCP plan is built.
Before conducting hazard analysis or identifying critical control points, a food business must ensure that basic food safety controls are already functioning effectively.
Without PRPs, HACCP teams often find themselves trying to manage routine hygiene failures through CCPs, making the system unnecessarily complex and difficult to maintain.
Examples include:
When PRPs are effective, the HACCP plan can focus on controlling significant hazards that remain after these foundational controls have been applied.
Businesses developing a HACCP system should also understand how to write a HACCP plan and how prerequisite programs support each stage of the process.
A HACCP plan and prerequisite programs work together, but they serve different purposes.
| Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) | HACCP Plan |
|---|---|
| Control general food safety risks | Controls specific significant hazards |
| Apply across the whole operation | Apply to specific process steps |
| Focus on hygiene and operational conditions | Focus on hazard prevention and control |
| Usually monitored through procedures and checklists | Monitored through critical limits and records |
| Required before HACCP implementation | Built on top of PRPs |
PRPs create the conditions that allow HACCP controls to work effectively.
Operational prerequisite programs (OPRPs) sit between PRPs and CCPs.
An OPRP controls a significant food safety hazard but does not require the same level of monitoring or critical limits as a CCP.
Examples may include:
Unlike PRPs, OPRPs are directly linked to identified food safety hazards.
Unlike CCPs, they do not always require scientifically validated critical limits.
Understanding this distinction helps HACCP teams apply controls appropriately and avoid overcomplicating their food safety management system.
A critical control point is a step where control is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level.
Examples include:
Each CCP requires:
In contrast, PRPs establish the general conditions that support safe operations.
Every food business requires prerequisite programs.
PRPs are relevant for:
Regardless of size or sector, all food businesses must establish controls that support food hygiene and food safety.
For multi-site operators, standardised PRPs help ensure consistency across locations and simplify internal audits and EHO inspections.
Digital food safety software helps standardise prerequisite programmes (PRPs) across locations by ensuring every site follows the same procedures, monitoring requirements, and food safety standards. This improves consistency, reduces compliance gaps, and makes it easier to maintain company-wide food safety performance.
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Most food businesses use a combination of prerequisite programs to manage everyday food safety risks.
Common examples include:
Good Manufacturing Practices establish the basic operating conditions needed to produce safe food.
They typically cover:
SSOPs document how cleaning and sanitation activities must be completed.
These procedures help ensure food contact surfaces remain hygienic and suitable for food production.
Digital food safety software helps ensure SOPs are followed consistently by providing clear instructions within each task, guiding staff through the correct process, and giving managers visibility into task completion across all locations.
Pest management procedures reduce the risk of contamination from rodents, insects, and birds.
They typically include:
Waste handling procedures help prevent contamination, pest attraction, and poor hygiene conditions.
Traceability systems help food businesses identify affected products quickly during incidents or recalls.
Strong traceability supports both food safety compliance and customer confidence.
The exact PRPs required depend on your operation, but most food businesses should consider the following areas:
Each prerequisite program should clearly define:
These controls form the operational backbone of a successful HACCP food safety programme.
PRPs should be documented as standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Each procedure should include:
Documented procedures improve consistency, simplify staff training, and provide evidence during audits and inspections.
Many HACCP teams also use hazard analysis findings to determine whether additional prerequisite procedures are required to address specific food safety hazards identified within their operation.
Creating and maintaining prerequisite programs manually can be time-consuming, particularly for businesses operating across multiple locations.
FoodDocs helps food businesses generate HACCP documentation and prerequisite programs significantly faster by automatically building procedures based on your operation.
The system can generate documented PRPs covering:
In addition to prerequisite procedures, FoodDocs helps businesses build a complete HACCP system that includes hazard analysis, monitoring procedures, critical limits, corrective actions, verification activities, and record-keeping requirements.
For multi-site hospitality groups, healthcare providers, catering operations, and food-to-go businesses, digital food safety software helps improve consistency, reduce paperwork, and simplify compliance management.
Get the exact steps to easily write a restaurant HACCP plan or download our free HACCP plan for restaurants template PDF and get compliant even...
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