Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) are written procedures or programs used to maintain equipment and the facility environment in a sanitary condition for food processing, and are a fundamental part of a food safety plan.
Our exclusive eBook, Achieving Sanitation Success with Innovative Techniques, Simplified SSOPs, and Applied Technology, will equip you with expert guidance on chemical applications and sanitation best practices to help your company achieve sanitation success and ensure food safety.
General cleaning/sanitizing elements of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should not be integrated into the "regulatory" requirements of Sanitation SOPs (SSOPs), but should be maintained as a separate plant operational set of documents. To further explain this the rationale for keeping these separate, this article reviews SSOPs to define their requirements and how these differ from general SOPs.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we talk to Michael (Mike) Cramer, author of Food Plant Sanitation—now in its third edition! Mike has nearly 43 years of experience in food safety and quality assurance (FSQA) and sanitation at meat and poultry processors and major frozen foods producers, having retired from Ajinomoto Foods North America in 2021. He discusses his learnings throughout his time in industry and provides guidance, resources, and valuable insights for both experienced and up-and-coming FSQA professionals looking to implement effective sanitation programs and foster healthy food safety cultures at their organizations.
This article will focus on why third-shift food and beverage sanitation work can be so challenging and dangerous, why it receives so much attention from OSHA, and what resources and control strategies are available for employers. The authors discuss the physical and chemical challenges with food processing equipment design and sanitation requirements as they relate to the safe performance of cleaning tasks.
When it comes to defining “clean” in the food industry, an objective definition does not exist, and each facility must recognize that what is deemed clean now may not stay clean when subjected to the environment.