Sanitizing involves the use of an active agent such as commercial sanitizer, bleach, hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Photo by Rawpixel.com
Cleaning and Sanitation play a key role in the protection of food products from contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, insects, pests, and other biological hazards.
This guide will introduce best practices for cleaning and sanitation procedures, explain how to create sanitation standard operating procedure (SSOP) documents for cleaning and sanitation protocols, and provide resources to develop more a complex SOP.*
Cleaning versus Sanitizing
Cleaning is the process of removing contamination from food preparation surfaces such as counters, cutting boards, dishes, knives, utensils, pots, and pans. Cleaning comes before sanitizing for most food preparation. The three steps of the cleaning process are:
Step One: Wash with detergent and warm water.
Step Two: Rinse with clean water.
Step Three: Air dry or dry with a clean paper towel.
Sanitizing involves the use of an active agent such as a commercial sanitizer, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or vinegar to kill living organisms. Similar to cleaning, sanitizing is a three step process. Rather than rinse, however, the sanitizer remains on the surface for a designated time in order to kill the biological contaminant.
Step One: Spray or immerse surface with sanitizer.
Step Two: Leave sanitizer on surface for designated time.
Step Three: Air dry or dry with a clean paper towel after designated time has lapsed.
To learn about designated sit-times for specific sanitizers, visit UF IFAS: Cleaning & Sanitizing the Kitchen
Creating an SSOP
Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) refers to a written document used in a food business that describes specific methods that are designed to prevent the introduction of harmful hazards by maintaining clean and sanitary production environments. The SSOP provides instructions to ensure adequate cleaning and sanitizing of equipment and surfaces that come in contact with food, and most state regulatory agencies require a food business to provide SSOP documents during inspection for permitting and licensing.
A company SSOP can be as simple as a collection of standalone documents explaining sanitation procedures, and the documents should also serve as instructions for staff and employees to follow during food handling and preparation to avoid cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is the process by which a hazard, such as bacteria, is unintentionally transferred to a food or surface via contact with contaminated surfaces, tools, hands, and/or products. The SSOP is designed to prevent the spread of hazards by cleaning and sanitization at specific locations and/or points in the production process. SSOPs can range from very simple to extremely complex depending on the needs of the food operation, because they should address the unique production activities conducted by the food operation. In most cases, a simple SSOP should at least include:
- Equipment and surfaces to be cleaned (including hands)
- Supplies to clean equipment and surfaces
- Methods to disassemble equipment if necessary
- Methods to cleaning and sanitize
- Frequency of cleaning and sanitation.
Designing a simple SSOP begins with three basic steps:
Step One: List each product produced by the business and create a flow diagram of the production process. Identify all surfaces and equipment used in production.
Step Two: Identify areas and procedures where cross-contamination can take place. Some examples include handling and chopping vegetables, combining ingredients with a mixer, serving soup with a spoon, adding water to a pot, etc.
Step Three: Develop and document sanitation procedures that will prevent or eliminate the spread of hazards during the production process. This can include requiring employees to wash hands before handling products, using separate utensils or sanitizing utensils after each use, or sanitizing prep surfaces after each use.
State regulatory agencies target eight keys areas of Sanitation during the inspection and permitting process, and these areas should be addressed in the SSOP.
Eight Key Areas of Sanitation for Florida Permitted Food Businesses
Sanitation Area | Description | Example of SSOP |
1. Water | All water used to to clean surfaces and equipment or prepare food (including ice) must be potable, or suitable for drinking |
|
2. Condition and cleanliness of food contact surfaces | All surfaces, including hands and utensils, must be free from bacteria, pests, and other hazards |
|
3. Prevention of cross-contamination | All surfaces that come into contact with food must be free from bacteria, pests, and other hazards. This includes food packaging materials, utensils, gloves, outer garments, and raw products |
|
4. Hand washing, hand sanitizing and toilet facilities | Food handlers must adhere to basic personal hygiene practices to prevent the spread of disease |
|
5. Protection from adulterants | Food, packaging material, and contact surfaces must be protected from chemicals such as fuel, pesticides, cleaning compounds, and sanitizing agents |
|
6. Proper labeling, storage and use of toxic chemicals | All cleaning and sanitizing solutions should be labeled and stored according to their properties |
|
7. Control of employee health conditions | Employees diagnosed with or displaying symptoms of certain illnesses that might result in the microbiological contamination of food, food packaging materials and food contact surfaces must be removed from food preparation |
|
8. Exclusion of pests | Food areas must be free of all pests such as insects, rodents, and pets as well as droppings, parts and hair |
|
Common Procedures in an SSOP include but are not limited to:
- A program to routinely train, monitor and correct employee knowledge and practice in sanitation and cleaning procedures (For more information visit the Food Safety Training guide)
- Record-keeping to document sanitation practices such as cleaning bathrooms, sanitizier storage, pest control application, and grease trap cleaning
- Routine testing and inspection such as testing sanitizer strength and reviewing expiration dates on stored ingredients
- Evaluating kitchen design to enhance production and cleaning systems
- Appropriate storage and labeling of ingredients as well as products in storage (for more information, visit the Packaging & Labeling guide)
- Food handling protocols that include segregated prep areas and equipment for potentially hazardous foods such as meat and seafood, handwashing criteria, gloves, hairnets, aprons, and other barriers preventing the introduction or cross contamination of hazards (for more information, visit the Packaging & Labeling guide)
- Temperature regulations in refrigerators, freezers, warmers, and heaters.
SSOP and Your Farmers Market Business
The SSOP not only safeguards the consumer, but it will also protect the farmers market business from accidentally producing and selling food that is harmful to customers. Depending on the product, some food businesses processing certain potentially hazardous foods (such as meat, seafood, juice, and others) are required to implement an additional FSPC and/or HACCP plan that go into greater detail by analyzing the production process, identifying critical areas where a hazards can enter production and developing procedures to prevent, monitor and document procedures to control the process. For more topics and information related to sanitation, review the resources below and visit the Food Safety Training and Regulatory Agencies guides in this website.
References & Resources
- UF IFAS: Cleaning & Sanitizing the Kitchen
- UF IFAS: Basic Elements of Equipment Cleaning & Sanitizing
- UF IFAS: Basic elements of a Sanitation Program for Food Processing & Handling
- UF IFAS: Keeping Food Safe – Proper Storage
- UF IFAS: Preventing Food Borne Illness Shigellosis
- UF IFAS: Safe Dishwashing ..Outdoor Events
- UF IFAS: Manteniendo los alimentos seguros (Keeping Food Safe)
- UF IFAS: Preventing Foodborne illness: Clostridium botulinum
- UF IAS: Food Safety Series
- UF IFAS: Sanitation and Clean Breaks
- Cleaning and Sanitizing Methods
- USDA SSOP Recommendations for Meat & Poultry
- Penn state Extension: Tips for Writing an SSOP
- USDA SSOP Training Outline
*This guide is not intended to serve as a substitute for legal advice. For all individual questions and concerns please consult a licensed attorney and contact the relevant agencies concerning your specific legal and regulatory requirements.
This page was authored by Sarah Cervone with content contributed by Tyler Nesbit, edited by Thomas Maple, and reviewed by Soo Ahn.
Published July 2019.
Reproducible only for non-commercial use courtesy of Florida Organic Growers, Florida Farmer’s Market Association and the United States Department of Agriculture.
OUR MISSION
Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc. (FOG) supports and promotes organic, regenerative, and sustainable agriculture.
Contact
5700 SW 34th Street Suite 349
Gainesville, FL 32608
p: 352.377.6345
OUR PARTNERS
View a list of our partner organizations. Be sure to support them whenever you can, they are an integral part of the F.O.G. Family!