The requirement that applies today
The organization sets up, runs, maintains and updates prerequisite programmes that prevent or reduce contaminants, including food safety hazards, in products, processing and the work environment. The programmes fit the organization, its context, its size, the type of operation and the products, and they apply across the production system or to a particular product or process. The food safety team approves them. The organization identifies the legal and agreed customer requirements and considers the relevant part of the ISO 22002 series and other codes, covering buildings, layout, utilities, pest control, waste, equipment, suppliers, receiving and storage, transport, cross-contamination, cleaning, personal hygiene, product information and anything else relevant. The selection, monitoring and verification are documented.
ISO 22000:2018, 8.2 Prerequisite programmes (PRPs); ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 8.2.
What the draft does
Unchanged title: The public contents keep 8.2 at the same number and title. No structural change is shown. The ISO 22002 series is the recognised reference for sector-specific PRPs and is not made mandatory by the clause.
Source: public contents and foreword at 8.2, retrieved 2026-10-19.
Why this clause matters
PRPs are the hygiene foundation under the hazard plan, and they are where most day-to-day food safety actually lives. The revision keeps the clause and its title. The practical work is choosing the right 22002 part for the sector and showing that the programmes are monitored, not just written.
Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor
For 8.2, these are the artefacts we suggest discussing with your auditor. The standard publishes no evidence list, so this is our reading, not a requirement.
- A PRP register mapped to the relevant 22002 part and to the site
- Monitoring records for each programme, with the frequency and the responsible person
- Verification that the programmes are effective, not only present
Where systems usually fall short
- A PRP manual copied from another sector
- Cleaning and pest records complete but never reviewed for trends
How to prepare
Take the PRP list and mark the three programmes most likely to fail at this site. Show the monitoring record and the last verification for each. If the verification is only a signature, strengthen it before the transition audit.
Dates
Cross-references
Source
Clause 8.2. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 8.2 is sold by ISO and not held here; the sources page lists what is.
Not legal advice; does not certify; our words, not the standard's, and the planning date is an estimate.