Before a HACCP system can be put in place, certain basic food safety controls must already be working in the business. In HACCP, these are known as prerequisites, or prerequisite programmes, often shortened to PRPs.

This module introduces the seven principles of HACCP. It then explains why effective prerequisites must be in place before those principles can be applied, and how prerequisites are planned, recorded and checked.

Every HACCP system is based on seven principles, set out by the Codex Alimentarius Commission:

• Principle 1: conduct a hazard analysis.
• Principle 2: determine the critical control points, or CCPs.
• Principle 3: establish critical limits.
• Principle 4: establish a system to monitor control of each CCP.
• Principle 5: establish the corrective action to take when monitoring shows that a CCP is not under control.
• Principle 6: establish procedures for verification, to confirm that the system is working effectively.
• Principle 7: establish documentation and records for all of these procedures.

Put simply, the seven principles ask a business to:

• Find out what could go wrong, at every step.
• Decide which steps are critical for keeping food safe.
• Set a clear, measurable limit at each of those steps.
• Check that each limit is being met.
• Know exactly what to do, and who does it, when a limit is not met.
• Prove that the whole system is working.
• Write it all down and keep the records.

You will learn about each principle in detail in modules 5 and 6.

Prerequisites are the basic food safety controls that must be in place before HACCP is applied. They provide the basic conditions needed to produce safe food every day.

The HACCP system is designed to control the significant hazards in a process. Prerequisites control the everyday hazards, such as dirt, pests and poor hygiene.

Without these basics, the HACCP system will not be effective, however well it is written.

The aim of prerequisites is to make sure that the day-to-day hazards in the business are under control. This allows the HACCP system to focus on the specific, more significant hazards that need critical control points.

For example, regular cleaning, pest control and handwashing deal with general contamination. That leaves the HACCP plan free to focus on critical steps, such as cooking chicken thoroughly or keeping chilled food cold.

Prerequisites a food business should have in place include:

• Buying only from approved, reputable suppliers.
• Premises, fixtures and fittings made of suitable materials that are durable and easy to clean.
• Preventing cross-contamination, with colour-coded equipment, separate storage and safe handling procedures.
• Keeping the workplace clean, tidy and well maintained.

• Following personal hygiene procedures, including handwashing, wearing clean protective clothing, and keeping staff who are ill away from food.
• Disposing of waste safely and hygienically, with enough bins and regular collection.
• Effective pest control, to keep insects, rodents and birds out of the premises.
• Training and supervising food handlers, to a level that suits their work.

Each of these must be in place, and working, before the HACCP plan is built.

To be effective, prerequisites must be planned and documented in the same way as the HACCP system.

Keep records of your food safety procedures, such as cleaning schedules, pest control reports, training records and supplier approvals. These show that every effort has been made to control food safety hazards.

Records are only useful if they are honest, complete and filled in at the time.

Good records are especially important if the business ever needs a due diligence defence.

Due diligence means that, if a food safety incident happens, the business can prove that it took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due care to keep the food safe.

Accurate, up-to-date records of prerequisites and HACCP checks are the best evidence a business has, if it is investigated by an inspector or taken to court.

Prerequisite controls must be verified regularly, to make sure they remain effective and continue to support the HACCP system.

All prerequisites must be:

• Valid, and suitable for the business.
• Followed by every member of staff.
• Reviewed regularly, and updated when procedures change.
• Easy to find, so that staff and inspectors can refer to them.

Before a HACCP system is put in place for the first time, the business should check whether any further prerequisites are needed. This is done with a gap analysis, which compares the controls already in place with the controls needed. It involves:

• Identifying any areas not covered by the current food safety system.
• Prioritising the areas where standards or controls need to improve.
• Deciding what resources, training and equipment are needed to make the improvements.