Prerequisite programs, Food Safety Glossary

The basic hygiene practices and conditions that provide the foundation for an effective HACCP or food safety system. Prerequisite programs are the fundamental practices and conditions needed to maintain a hygienic environment for producing safe food. They underpin a HACCP based system by controlling general hazards, so that HACCP can focus on the specific critical control points. Without solid prerequisites, HACCP cannot work reliably. Typical prerequisite programs include cleaning and sanitising, pest control, personal hygiene and handwashing, staff training, approved supplier and goods receipt procedures, waste management, water quality, and maintenance of premises and equipment. They are sometimes called good hygienic practices or good manufacturing practices. In an Australian food business, the prerequisite programs map closely to the general requirements in Standard 3.2.2 and the premises and equipment requirements in Standard 3.2.3. Cleaning schedules, pest control contracts, staff hygiene rules and supplier checks are all prerequisite programs in action. Getting prerequisites right removes a large share of everyday risk before critical control points come into play. A business with reliable cleaning, sanitising and personal hygiene has fewer contamination problems, which makes monitoring the true CCPs, such as cooking and cold holding, far more manageable. A Gold Coast bakery keeps a documented cleaning and sanitising schedule, a monthly pest control visit and a staff handwashing policy. These prerequisite programs control general hygiene hazards, so its HACCP based plan can concentrate on the critical baking and cooling steps.