Sanitation SOP Template, With a Daily Record

A sanitation SOP, or SSOP, is the written list of cleaning and sanitizing procedures a food plant does every day, before production starts and during it, with how often each is done and who's responsible. For a meat or poultry plant under USDA inspection, it's required: the procedures before operations have to be identified as such and cover at least food-contact surfaces, every procedure has a frequency and a responsible employee, the document is signed and dated by the person in charge, and daily records with initials and dates are kept for at least six months. FDA-regulated plants write the same kind of procedures as sanitation controls in their food safety plans. In the example below, a jerky maker writes its SSOP and catches residue on two smokehouse racks on the first morning. Below are the rules, the template, the record, and a free workbook.

The short version

• Write each cleaning procedure, and mark it pre-operational (before start) or operational (during the day).
• Pre-operational procedures cover at least food-contact surfaces: equipment, utensils, tables.
• Give each procedure a frequency and a responsible person.
• Name the chemical and its strength, from the supplier's label.
• The person in charge signs and dates the SSOP when it's first used and after every change.
• Keep a daily record with initials, dates and any corrective action, for at least six months under USDA.
• TaroStack keeps pre-op checks on each batch record, with its lots. More below.

The rules

FDA's preventive controls rule describes sanitation controls, procedures that keep the plant sanitary enough to minimize hazards such as environmental pathogens and allergen cross-contact (21 CFR 117.135(c)(3)), so an FDA plant's sanitation procedures look much the same; where they sit is in what is a food safety plan. This is general information, not legal advice.

An example: a jerky maker's SSOP

Cedar Hollow Jerky, a made-up jerky maker in Bozeman, Montana, I use in these examples, writes its SSOP as part of its application for its own grant of inspection:

The owner signed and dated it on October 1. On October 13, the first morning it ran, the pre-op inspection found residue on two smokehouse racks; they were re-cleaned, re-sanitized and inspected again before the first load went in, and the record says so. How a general cleaning schedule is kept is in cleaning log template, and Cedar Hollow's numbers in beef jerky business plan.

The daily record

Get the workbook

Download the sanitation SOP template. Two sheets: the SSOP, each procedure marked pre-operational or operational with what's done, the chemical and strength, how often and who's responsible, and a sign-off line; and a daily record with the pre-op result, any corrective action and initials. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.

Where this stops working

The daily record says the racks were re-cleaned on October 13. It doesn't say which batch went into the smokehouse that morning, so if an inspector or a customer ever asks about that batch, the record and the batch have to be matched by hand.

How TaroStack does it

TaroStack keeps pre-op checks on each batch record, with its lots.

Pre-op on the batch record. Fields of your own on the batch record, tick boxes, choices and initials, record the pre-op inspection and any corrective action for the day's first batch, and printable batch-record forms carry them for the plant.

Each batch its lot. A batch of jerky records the beef and marinade lots it consumed and gets a lot of its own, so a sanitation question about a morning leads to the batch, and the batch to its customers.

Holds and recalls. A lot on hold is kept out of what can be sold, and each order records the lots each customer got, so one recall report shows who got a batch.

Batches, batch records with fields of your own, holds and recalls are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.

Questions people also ask

What is a sanitation SOP?

The written cleaning and sanitizing procedures a food plant does daily, before and during production, with how often and who's responsible.

What must an SSOP include?

For USDA-inspected plants: daily procedures before and during operations, pre-op procedures marked as such and covering food-contact surfaces, frequencies, responsible employees, and a signature and date.

How long do SSOP records need to be kept?

Under USDA's rules, at least six months, with the responsible person's initials and the date on each daily record.

Do FDA-regulated food makers need an SSOP?

Not by that name; FDA's preventive controls rule describes sanitation controls, and the procedures look much the same.