Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) for HACCP

Prerequisite programs (PRPs) are the everyday practices that keep your premises, equipment and people in a fit state so HACCP can work. They cover cleaning and sanitising, pest control, maintenance, staff training and supplier control. Without solid PRPs, your critical control points sit on shaky ground. This guide explains each core PRP, how it supports your food safety program, and how to document and verify it so your controls hold up. Key takeaways: Prerequisite programs are the foundation HACCP is built on; they control the general hygiene conditions so your critical control points can focus on the few significant hazards.. The core PRPs are cleaning and sanitising, pest control, maintenance and calibration, staff training and personal hygiene, and supplier and incoming-goods control.. PRPs must be documented, followed and verified, not just written down; keep dated records so you can show they actually happen.. Getting PRPs right often reduces the number of critical control points you need, because good general controls remove many hazards before they become significant.. Requirements vary by state, territory and business type, so confirm your specific obligations with your state or territory regulator and local council.. What prerequisite programs are and why HACCP needs them Prerequisite programs are the basic operational and hygiene practices that create the conditions food is safely handled in. HACCP identifies the significant hazards in your process and sets critical control points (CCPs) to manage them, but HACCP assumes the surrounding environment is already under control. PRPs deliver that control. They are sometimes described as good manufacturing practice (GMP) or good hygienic practice, and they underpin the general food safety requirements in Standard 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code. If your cool room is filthy, pests are getting in, or staff have never been trained, no CCP will keep food safe on its own. Strong PRPs also keep your hazard analysis manageable: when the general conditions are reliably controlled, fewer hazards rise to the level of needing a CCP, so your plan stays focused and workable. PRPs manage the general environment; CCPs manage the specific significant hazards.. They align with the general provisions of the Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2).. Well-run PRPs reduce the burden on your critical control points.. Cleaning and sanitising A cleaning and sanitising program keeps surfaces, equipment and utensils free of food residue, dirt and harmful microorganisms. Cleaning removes visible soil and grease; sanitising then reduces microorganisms to a safe level. The two are separate steps, and sanitiser will not work properly on a surface that has not first been cleaned. Build a written cleaning schedule that lists what is cleaned, how often, the method, the chemical and dilution, and who is responsible. Pay particular attention to food-contact surfaces, chopping boards, slicers and anything used for ready-to-eat food. Follow the chemical manufacturer's instructions for dilution and contact time, and make sure staff understand them. Record cleaning as it is done so you can show the schedule is being followed, not just written. Clean first to remove soil, then sanitise to reduce microorganisms.. Document a schedule: item, frequency, method, chemical, dilution and responsible person.. Follow the product label for dilution rates and contact time.. Prioritise food-contact surfaces and equipment used for ready-to-eat food.. Pest control Pests such as rodents, cockroaches, flies and stored-product insects carry pathogens and can contaminate food and surfaces, so an effective pest control program is a core PRP. The most reliable approach is prevention: seal gaps and entry points, fit screens and self-closing doors, remove harbourage and food sources, and keep waste areas clean and bins closed. Many businesses engage a licensed pest control contractor for regular inspections and treatment; keep their service reports and any site plan showing bait station locations. Between visits, staff should monitor for signs of pest activity such as droppings, gnaw marks or live sightings and report them promptly. Do not store or use pesticides where they could contaminate food, and confirm any licensing requirements for pest treatments with your state or territory regulator. Prevent entry: seal gaps, screen openings and use self-closing doors.. Remove food, water and harbourage that attract pests.. Keep pest contractor reports and any bait station plan on file.. Train staff to spot and report signs of pest activity between services.. Maintenance and equipment calibration Premises, fixtures and equipment must be kept in good working order so they can be cleaned effectively and do not contaminate food. A maintenance program covers the building fabric, refrigeration, cooking equipment, seals and surfaces. Damaged surfaces, chipped tiles, flaking paint or worn seals harbour dirt and cannot be sanitised properly, so plan both preventive maintenance and prompt repairs. Calibration is a closely related PRP: any thermometer or temperature probe used to check food safety needs to read accurately, because your temperature-based controls depend on it. Check probes regularly against a known reference such as an ice slurry (around 0 degrees Celsius) or boiling water, and against the accuracy your process needs, commonly plus or minus 1 degree Celsius for a food probe. Keep records of maintenance and calibration checks. Keep the building, fittings and equipment in a cleanable, sound condition.. Combine preventive maintenance with fast repair of damage.. Calibrate probe thermometers regularly against a known reference.. A food probe accurate to about plus or minus 1 degree Celsius supports reliable temperature controls.. Staff training and personal hygiene People are one of the biggest sources of contamination, so training and personal hygiene are essential PRPs. Under the Food Standards Code, food handlers must have skills and knowledge in food safety and food hygiene appropriate to their work, and businesses must ensure this. Cover handwashing, avoiding cross-contamination, correct temperature handling, cleaning, reporting illness and, where relevant, allergen management. Many food service and retail businesses are also required to have a trained Food Safety Supervisor; whether this applies to you depends on your business type and location, so confirm with your state or territory regulator and local council. Personal hygiene rules include thorough handwashing, staying away from food handling when sick with symptoms like vomiting or diarrhoea, keeping clean clothing, and covering cuts with a coloured waterproof dressing. Keep a training register recording who was trained, on what, and when. Food handlers need skills and knowledge in food safety suited to their tasks.. A Food Safety Supervisor may be required depending on your business type and location.. Reinforce handwashing, illness reporting and cross-contamination control.. Maintain a dated training register as evidence.. Supplier and incoming goods control Food safety starts before goods reach your kitchen, so supplier and receipt control is a key PRP. Buy from reputable, approved suppliers who can demonstrate they handle food safely, and keep records that let you trace where each batch came from and where it went, which supports recall and traceability obligations under the Code. At delivery, check that goods are from an approved supplier, that packaging is intact, that use-by and best-before dates are acceptable, and that potentially hazardous foods arrive cold (at or below 5 degrees Celsius) or hot (at or above 60 degrees Celsius). Reject deliveries that fail these checks and record the reason. A short receiving checklist and a delivery log make this consistent and give you the paper trail regulators expect. Use approved, reputable suppliers and keep one-step-back, one-step-forward traceability.. Check supplier, packaging condition and date marking at delivery.. Confirm cold foods arrive at or below 5 degrees Celsius and hot foods at or above 60 degrees Celsius.. Reject and record any delivery that fails your checks.. Documenting and verifying your PRPs A PRP only counts if it happens and you can show it. For each program, write a simple procedure covering what is done, how often, by whom, and how it is checked, then keep the records that prove it. Verification means periodically confirming the program is working, for example a manager reviewing cleaning records, checking probe calibration logs, or auditing delivery checks. Where something goes wrong, record the corrective action you took. Keeping PRP documents and records together with your HACCP plan makes internal and external audits far smoother, and helps a new staff member or an auditor see at a glance that your foundations are solid. Review your PRPs whenever your menu, equipment, layout or suppliers change. Write short, clear procedures for each PRP.. Keep dated records that show the program is followed.. Verify regularly and document corrective actions when things go wrong.. Review PRPs after any significant change to your operation.. Checklist: Written cleaning and sanitising schedule with frequencies, chemicals and responsibilities. Pest control arrangements in place, with contractor reports or in-house monitoring records. Preventive maintenance plan and prompt repair process for premises and equipment. Probe thermometer calibration checked and logged. Food handler training completed and recorded; Food Safety Supervisor arranged if required. Approved supplier list and incoming goods receiving checks documented. Traceability records that link deliveries in and product out. PRP procedures and records stored alongside the HACCP plan and reviewed after changes. Common mistakes: Treating PRPs as paperwork only, with procedures written but never followed or recorded. Sanitising surfaces that were not cleaned first, so the sanitiser cannot work. Forgetting to calibrate probe thermometers, undermining every temperature control. Assuming a pest contractor removes all responsibility, and not monitoring between visits. Skipping delivery checks, so out-of-temperature or damaged goods enter the kitchen. Not updating PRPs when the menu, equipment, layout or suppliers change.