Prerequisite programs create baseline operational and environmental conditions critical for producing a safe food product, and training is the key to ensuring that the plans you develop are effective.
The National Restaurant Association's Food Safety & Industry Relations department presented a webinar on March 15 that outlined how prerequisite programs support food safety. These programs help operators identify sources of possible contaminatoin, pinpoint transfer points in the flow of food where hazards may occur, and create written policies designed to prevent or diminish problems.
According to the webinar, prerequisite programs are preventative measures developed around key areas of any foodservice operation. Some of these areas include:
- Facilities design
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Pest Control
- Equipment Maintenance
- Personal Hygiene
- Supplier Control
- Chemical Control
Across all of these areas, training is one of the most important prerequisites. Every establishment should have written procedures that address what will be covered in training, how frequently employees are trained, how employee knowledge is assessed, and how training is remediated. Detailed prerequisite programs are inadequate if your staff hasn’t been trained on what they are and how to implement them.
The webinar also discussed how prerequisite programs provide a foundation for HACCP by potentially reducing the number of critical control points, since those areas are already being actively monitored and controlled by the prerequisites.
“Keep Your Food Safe by Implementing Prerequisite Programs” was the first in a series of three webinars being offered by the NRA’s Department of Food Safety & Industry Relations this spring. The goal of the webinars is to assist food service operators in protecting public health through a more robust understanding of food safety best practices along with tips for effective implementation.
Register here to view the complete March 15 webinar.
To register for the April 10 webinar, “Serving Safe Food Begins with Safe Suppliers,” click here. The final webinar of this series will be presented on May 8.