Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs)

Abstract

Sanitation is one of the most important aspects of food manufacturing. It is the beginning, not the end, of food processing. It is an important part of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Sanitation provides the hygienic conditions required to produce safe food. Improper sanitation of equipment can potentially introduce hazardous contamination to food and enhance pathogen harborage in the food-processing environment. Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) are detailed procedures specifying what to clean, how to clean, how frequently to clean, and what records to use for monitoring the cleaning procedures. SSOPs could be written for the cleaning process of direct food-contact surfaces such as utensils, conveyors, and equipment, and non-food contact surfaces such as doors, walls, floors, drains, evaporators, ceilings, and light covers. This chapter provides these aspects in details with illustrated examples, the steps required for developing a SSOP, the essential elements of a generic SSOP, master sanitation schedule, monitoring records and forms for daily sanitation log, titration of chemicals log, and pre-operational inspection.