Last Updated on December 9, 2025 by Melissa Lazaro

Why PRPs and OPRPs Matter More Than Most Teams Realize

Here’s what I’ve noticed after years of helping food manufacturers, processors, logistics teams, and cold-chain operators implement ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000: Clause 7 is often misunderstood. People know PRPs are important. They know OPRPs exist. But the line between these two—and how they connect to hazards and CCPs—gets blurry very quickly.

Clause 7 is where hygiene, environment, and operational conditions actually show up on the factory floor. It’s also where risk-based decision making becomes real. When PRPs and OPRPs are clear, consistent, and well-designed, everything else in the FSMS becomes sturdier—from hazard analysis to monitoring and verification.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What PRPs truly cover in ISO 22000
• How OPRPs differ from PRPs and CCPs
• How to classify controls correctly using risk
• What auditors look for when reviewing Clause 7
• Practical examples and tools to make implementation easier

Now that we’re aligned on the purpose, let’s break down each part in a way that’s simple to work with and easy to train your team on.

ISO 22000 Clause 7 Overview — How PRPs and OPRPs Support Real Food-Safety Controls

If you imagine your FSMS like a house, PRPs are the foundation. They create stability. They protect you from day-to-day contamination, cross-contact, and environmental risks.
OPRPs, on the other hand, are the reinforced beams—specific controls that handle significant hazards but don’t require the strictness of a CCP.

How Clause 7 Fits Into the Bigger Picture

Clause 7 links three things:

1. Your planning (Clause 6)
2. Your hazard assessment (Clause 8)
3. Your operational performance (cleaning, maintenance, staff behavior, environmental conditions)

A strong set of PRPs prevents risk from building up.
A well-defined set of OPRPs reduces significant hazards that need more attention but don’t rise to the level of a CCP.

Common Misunderstanding

Many teams treat PRPs as “basic hygiene,” but they’re much more than that. A weak PRP creates constant nonconformities and pushes hazard control into unnecessary complexity.

Pro Tip

If you ever feel unsure whether something is a PRP or something more, ask: Is this a general hygiene measure, or does it specifically reduce a significant hazard identified in the hazard assessment?
That question usually points you in the right direction.

Operational PRPs (PRPs) — Hygiene, Environment & Foundational Conditions

PRPs protect your food-safety system from the everyday things that can go wrong. They handle contamination risks, environment risks, and hygiene expectations that apply regardless of the product you’re making.

Typical PRP Areas Under ISO 22000

• Facility layout and flow
• Cleaning and sanitation programs
• Pest management
• Waste handling
• Water quality and steam safety
• Allergen management
• Equipment suitability and calibration
• Personnel hygiene
• Purchasing and supplier controls
• Storage and transport conditions

Each PRP exists because it lowers the baseline risk before you even start hazard analysis.

Sector Examples

• Bakeries: Sieve integrity, flour dust control, cleaning between allergen runs.
• Beverage plants: Water-quality monitoring, tank cleaning cycles.
• Dairy plants: Temperature control during storage and CIP verification.
• Packaging manufacturers: Contaminant control and visual inspections.

Pro Tip

Review PRPs anytime your process flow changes. Small adjustments—like adding a new mixer or relocating a storage rack—often affect hygiene conditions.

Common Mistake

Teams update the production process but forget to update PRP procedures, cleaning maps, or housekeeping routes. Auditors spot this immediately.

Identifying and Classifying OPRPs — Using Risk to Make Smart Decisions

Now that PRPs are clear, let’s tackle OPRPs. This is where risk assessment (Clause 8) pushes certain controls into a higher category.

What Makes a Control an OPRP?

An OPRP is needed when:

• A hazard is significant, but
• The control doesn’t require the strict monitoring of a CCP, but
• It still needs defined limits, monitoring, and actions

Think of an OPRP as a “critical-but-not-CCP” control.

How to Classify OPRPs Using Risk

Look at your hazard assessment and ask:

• Is the hazard significant?
• Does a specific control reduce it?
• Is monitoring needed?
• Would failure create an unacceptable risk?
• Can it be validated?

If “yes” to these questions—but not strong enough to justify CCP classification—you’re likely dealing with an OPRP.

Examples of OPRPs

• Filtration steps that reduce foreign-body risks
• Allergen cleaning verification
• Metal detection in a process where detection is less critical than at final product
• Environmental monitoring in high-risk areas
• Sieving where the sieve is not the final barrier

Pro Tip

Don’t copy OPRPs from another company. These controls are always process-specific and risk-based.

Common Mistake

Misclassifying a control because “the consultant said so.”
Auditors expect the logic behind your classification to be clear.

Designing Effective OPRPs — Monitoring, Corrective Actions & Validation

Once you identify an OPRP, the next step is building it into a clear, workable procedure.

What an OPRP Procedure Should Include

• Purpose and hazard addressed
• Defined limits or criteria
• Step-by-step monitoring instructions
• Correction and corrective-action steps
• Records needed for verification
• Responsibilities
• Validation method

How to Monitor OPRPs

Monitoring must be:

• Simple
• Frequent enough to control the hazard
• Assigned to trained personnel
• Recorded in a way that trends can be reviewed

If monitoring isn’t practical, the OPRP won’t work on the production floor.

Real-Life Example (your one story)

A ready-meal producer once treated allergen swabbing as a PRP. They monitored inconsistently and didn’t trend results. A mild allergen cross-contact incident forced them to reclassify the cleaning verification as an OPRP. Once they did, the monitoring frequency, documentation, and corrective actions became much clearer—and the problem never resurfaced.

Common Audit Findings

• “OPRP limit not defined.”
• “Monitoring inconsistently recorded.”
• “Corrective action not documented when limit was exceeded.”
• “Validation missing or unclear.”

Pro Tip

Train operators using real examples of past deviations. It helps them understand why consistency matters.

Documentation, Evidence & Integration With the FSMS

Now that we covered PRPs and OPRPs individually, let’s look at how they tie into the broader system.

Documentation You Must Maintain

• PRP procedures and schedules
• OPRP procedures
• Monitoring forms
• Corrective-action records
• Verification and validation records
• Trend analysis
• Internal audit findings

How to Keep Everything Consistent

Your PRPs and OPRPs must match:

• The hazard analysis
• The flow diagram
• The layout and zoning
• The equipment used
• The staff training program

If any of these don’t align, auditors will immediately question FSMS coherence.

Common Pitfall

An OPRP limit appears in the HACCP study but isn’t written the same way in the procedure or monitoring form. Consistency builds credibility.

Pro Tip

Review PRP/OPRP documentation quarterly, even if small updates are needed. It prevents sudden problems during audits.

Practical Tools & Templates for PRP and OPRP Implementation

To make Clause 7 easier to implement, these templates often help:

• PRP checklist for hygiene, facility, and equipment
• OPRP classification worksheet
• OPRP monitoring log with clear limits
• OPRP/PRP verification summary
• PRP weekly inspection form

These tools help you maintain clarity, consistency, and readiness—especially during internal and external audits.

Pro Tip

Keep PRP and OPRP records short, simple, and easy for operators to complete. Complicated forms lead to inconsistent data.

FAQs

1. What’s the difference between an OPRP and a CCP?

A CCP requires strict, measurable critical limits and real-time monitoring—failure often leads to unsafe product.
An OPRP still controls a significant hazard, but with less strictness and more flexibility.

2. How often should PRPs and OPRPs be reviewed?

At least annually, and anytime you change ingredients, equipment, layout, suppliers, or risk assessments.

3. Can a control move from PRP to OPRP after reassessment?

Yes. Changes in products, processes, or hazards can shift classifications. That’s why regular reassessment matters.

Conclusion: Clause 7 Makes Your FSMS Real on the Production Floor

PRPs and OPRPs are where food safety becomes visible in daily operations. When they’re designed well, monitored consistently, and linked clearly to your hazard assessment, your FSMS becomes strong, predictable, and trusted—by auditors and by your team.

This guidance comes from supporting clients through many ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 audits. When PRPs and OPRPs are solid, the entire food-safety system stands firm.

If you’re ready to strengthen your controls, start by reviewing your PRPs and running an honest OPRP classification exercise. Everything else in your FSMS becomes easier when these foundations are strong.