Last Updated on December 2, 2025 by Melissa Lazaro

Why PRPs and HACCP Must Work Together

If you’ve ever tried building a HACCP plan without solid prerequisite programs in place, you probably felt like you were patching gaps with duct tape. I’ve seen it happen more times than I can count — the HACCP plan becomes bloated, confusing, and full of CCPs that don’t really need to be CCPs.

Here’s the simple truth:
HACCP sits on top of your prerequisite programs.
If those PRPs are weak, HACCP becomes complicated. If they’re strong, HACCP becomes focused and manageable.

This guide will walk you through how PRPs and HACCP should work together, how to decide what belongs where, and how to build a single integrated system instead of two disconnected binders.

By the end, you’ll have a clear model you can use to tighten controls, simplify decision-making, and make audits smoother.

Understand the Difference (HACCP vs. PRPs Explained Simply)

A lot of teams confuse HACCP and PRPs because both deal with food safety. But they serve different purposes.

• PRPs (Prerequisite Programs):
  These are the baseline conditions you need before you even start hazard analysis. Think sanitation, allergen control, personal hygiene, equipment maintenance, and facility design.
• HACCP:
  This focuses on specific steps where hazards are significant enough to require critical controls.

A simple way to think about it:

PRPs prevent problems from happening.
HACCP controls what could still go wrong.

Pro Tip:
If everything feels like a CCP, it’s usually a sign your PRPs need strengthening.

Common Mistake:
Treating allergen control, cleaning, or equipment calibration as CCPs when they’re actually PRPs — and should be documented and managed as such.

One facility I worked with reduced five CCPs down to one simply by tightening sanitation and equipment maintenance PRPs.

Map PRPs to the Flow Diagram (Aligning Systems)

Once your flow diagram is ready, connect your PRPs to real production steps. This helps your team understand which controls apply at each point and prevents overlap.

A simple approach:

1. List each step in your process.
2. Identify what PRP applies at that step.
3. Mark where hazard control shifts from PRP to HACCP.

For example:

Step	PRP Applied	Additional HACCP Control?
Storage	Allergen management	No
Cooking	Sanitation + calibration	Yes → CCP
Metal detection	Foreign-body control PRP	Yes → CCP

Pro Tip:
Use color coding in your hazard analysis worksheet — it makes relationships easier to see during audits.

Common Mistake:
Creating PRPs as a separate system with no visible connection to flow diagrams or hazard analysis.

Decide What Belongs in PRPs vs. CCPs (A Simple Decision Framework)

This is where judgment comes in — but it doesn’t need to feel like guesswork.

Ask these questions:

1. Is there a hazard at this step?
2. Can a PRP fully prevent or control it?
3. Is additional monitoring needed to make the product safe?

If a strong PRP is enough, it stays a PRP.
If the step requires active, measurable, and essential control — that’s a CCP.

Pro Tip:
Document why something is not a CCP. Auditors respect logic more than assumptions.

Common Mistake:
Turning everything into a CCP because it “feels safer.” That usually creates more paperwork — not better safety.

Strengthen PRPs Before Finalizing HACCP

There’s a reason every HACCP workshop teaches PRPs first. Your system will be significantly cleaner if you fix PRP weaknesses early.

Focus on areas like:

• Cleaning and sanitation procedures
• Allergen segregation
• Calibration and maintenance
• Foreign-body control systems
• Supplier approval and incoming inspection
• Pest control
• Staff hygiene and training

A meat processor I worked with removed an unnecessary CCP when they improved their sanitation and allergen control PRPs — the hazard no longer required extra control.

Pro Tip:
Run a PRP gap-analysis before starting hazard analysis — it prevents rework later.

Train Teams on How Both Systems Connect

It’s easy for staff to think:
“PRPs are for quality. HACCP is for audits.”

That mindset creates inconsistency.

Everyone should understand how their daily tasks support both systems — and why both matter.

Effective training methods include:

• Short on-the-floor demonstrations
• Visual examples using real equipment
• Mini refreshers tied to audit findings
• Laminated CCP and PRP task cards at workstations

Pro Tip:
Keep the language simple. Operators respond to clarity, not terminology.

Common Mistake:
Training HACCP separately and never showing how it’s applied in real daily work.

Keep Documentation Linked and Auditor-Friendly

An integrated system is easier to run and easier to audit.

Organize your documents so HACCP controls and PRPs connect instead of living in separate islands.

Strong documentation includes:

• A master index linking PRPs to HACCP steps
• Standardized monitoring forms
• Clear version control
• Evidence of verification and review

Pro Tip:
Auditors appreciate when they can trace one hazard from:
Flow diagram → Hazard analysis → PRP or CCP control → Record → Verification.

Common Mistake:
Updating HACCP plans but forgetting to update related PRP procedures.

FAQs

Do PRPs require monitoring like CCPs?
Yes — but the frequency and documentation are usually lighter because PRPs prevent risk rather than control high-risk steps.

Can strong PRPs eliminate the need for CCPs?
Sometimes — but not always. Cooking, metal detection, or thermal processing typically remain CCPs.

How often should PRPs be reviewed?
At least annually — and whenever a change in product, equipment, supplier, or layout occurs.

Conclusion — One System, Not Two

When PRPs and HACCP work together, the food-safety system becomes easier to manage, clearer to train, and smoother to audit. Instead of juggling separate systems, you create one integrated approach with structure and logic behind every decision.

If you want to move from theory to action, the next step is straightforward:

Download the HACCP + PRP Integration Checklist and start mapping your system today.