Practical QA Solutions: SSOPs for Food Safety

What are SSOPs? How does one implement a practical and systematic approach to cleaning a food plant? When does one determine where/when to dry clean, wet clean or both? What is a desired level of clean? Why is it necessary to document SSOPs? Who is the best person to validate SSOPs effectiveness? Perhaps you have asked yourself or been asked these questions.

A DEFINITION. SSOP is a food industry acronym referring to Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures. The SSOP’s are implemented throughout a food plant to prevent contamination or adulteration of product. There is some confusion about the P; procedures or policies or plan or practices? Although the P stands for procedures, perhaps this P can refer to all four. Procedures to provide a series of steps in a definitive order (the how), policies to state the goals (the why), plan for the method to achieve (the intent) and practices for employees to perform the work.

Food plants with poor sanitation increase the risk of contaminating products. Contamination may occur as physical (insects), chemical (cleaning compounds) or biological (bacteria). The plant, equipment and tools must be cleaned and sanitized on a regular schedule to prevent these various forms of contamination. Options are hourly, shiftly, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual. Frequency depends upon the contamination type being prevented. One example would be bi-weekly to prevent flour beetle insects contaminating flour handling equipment. Cleaning put simply is a means to rid an area or surface of dirt, impurities and extraneous matter to a desired level at a desired time. Once a surface is clean, that surface can be sanitized to remove the potential for microbial contamination. However not all areas or surfaces should be sanitized. Some areas are best to be dry-cleaned only (vacuuming flour bins). Other areas are best dry-cleaned routinely, wet cleaned/sanitized periodically (a trash compacter area is an example). A level of clean is in the eyes of the beholder. A construction worker’s level may differ from a microbiologist’s level of clean.

WHEN AND WHERE? What is a desired level of clean at a desired time? The short answer is a level that prevents contamination from occurring at any time. What is an effective schedule? More cleaning requires more time which require more man-hours, cleaning compounds, tools, and equipment. All this along with production downtime make for a significant cost. A sanitarian that has completed an approved food sanitation program should be in charge of writing/updating cleaning procedures, policies, practices and plan. Evaluating cleaning should be done in a combination of ways; organoleptic, chemical and microbiological. SSOP’s must be documented; describing why to clean, where to clean, when to clean, what to clean, how to clean, clean with what, sanitize with what with specific rotation practices (prevent microbial resistance), contact time required for cleaning compounds and sanitizers, mixing instructions, tools to use and maintain, detailed procedure for sensitive areas and pieces of equipment, corrective action, etc. Effective SSOP’s are more science than art. There also must be documentation that the cleaning compounds, methods and sanitizing solution being used is effective against pathogenic organisms such as Salmonella and E. Coli. SSOP’s should be updated in an ongoing matter reflecting ongoing new data. Effective SSOP’S are a result of intelligent effort.

CONCLUSION. Developing and implementing SSOP’S is a practical, systematic and pre-requisite solution to producing a safe wholesome food by preventing contamination assuring a safe environment. For additional information on SSOP’S go to www.fsis.usda.gov/pdf/ssop_module.pdf.

The author is a Certified Professional Instructor and can be reached through www.qualitycenteredconsulting.com or at 816/436-1627.