Prerequisite programmes - your hygiene foundation
Plain-language summary
The basic hygiene and operating conditions - cleaning, pest control, maintenance, personal hygiene, allergen segregation - that keep the whole environment fit to make food.
What the clause is really asking
PRPs are the foundation HACCP stands on; without them, controlling specific hazards is impossible. This clause requires you to establish, implement and maintain prerequisite programmes suited to your operation - cleaning and sanitation, pest control, maintenance, personnel hygiene, waste handling, allergen management, and more. They control the general likelihood of contamination across the site.
What auditors look for
This is heavily walked. Auditors inspect cleaning standards, pest-control stations and reports, maintenance condition, hand-washing and changing facilities, waste segregation, and allergen-handling practices. They look for PRPs that are documented, scheduled, verified and genuinely effective on the day.
Typical evidence
PRP procedures and schedules; cleaning records and verification (e.g. swabs/ATP); pest-control contractor reports; maintenance records; personal hygiene and allergen-control records
How to comply — recommendations
Build your PRPs around recognised sector guidance - under FSSC, that means ISO/TS 22002-x for your category - and schedule and verify them, not just do them. Pay particular attention to allergen segregation, cleaning validation and pest control, which auditors scrutinise hard. Keep records that prove the PRP was done and worked.
Common nonconformities
Cleaning done but never verified; pest-control actions from contractor reports not closed out; allergen segregation weak; PRPs not aligned to ISO/TS 22002 for the sector
Related clauses
ISO 22000 8.5 (hazard analysis), 8.6, 8.8; ISO/TS 22002-1/-4 etc.
Qlause provides interpretive guidance only and is not a substitute for the standard. Refer to your licensed copy of the relevant standard for the authoritative text.