The production of safe food products requires that the HACCP system be built upon a solid foundation of prerequisite programs.

Prerequisite Programs are procedures, including Good Retail Practices (GRPs) and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs), that provide the basic environmental and operating conditions necessary for the production of safe, wholesome food.

GRPs define measures of general hygiene as well as measures that prevent food from becoming adulterated due to unsanitary conditions. They are broadly focused and encompass many aspects of plant and personnel operations.

SSOPs are written plans for maintenance, cleaning, personal hygiene, sanitizing, storage, service and receiving. They help to accomplish the overall goal of maintaining GRPs in the production of food. Properly designed and implemented SSOPs are valuable in reducing the likelihood that a hazard will occur.

When pre-requisite programs are in place, the focus of the HACCP plan becomes the hazards associated with the product or the process which must be controlled and not the manufacturing plant environment.

Although sanitation controls associated with specific situations may become part of a HACCP plan, the general cleaning and sanitizing program should be included in an organization’s SSOPs rather than in its HACCP plan.

Key Sanitation Conditions and Practices include:

• Safety of Water;
• Condition and cleanliness of food-contact surfaces;
• Prevention of cross-contamination;
• Maintenance of hand-washing, hand-sanitizing and toilet facilities;
• Protection from adulterants;
• Labeling, storage and proper use of toxic compounds;
• Employee health conditions; and
• Exclusion of pests.