# SOP / SSOP Template

A blank, fillable procedure for one task your operation runs the same way
every time — mixing a batch, sanitizing a filler, receiving a delivery. Reach
for it when an auditor flags a procedure as vague or missing, when you are
training someone new, or when a task lives only in one person's head and needs
to live on paper.

A good procedure answers four questions plainly: who does the task, what they
do, how they do it, and how often. An auditor writes a procedure up as a
non-conformance when it skips one of those, or when nothing records that it was
done. SQF Edition 9 asks the same of every documented procedure: the method and
the responsibility written down, kept current under document control.

- SQF Food Safety Code, Edition 9: https://www.sqfi.com/our-program/certification-programs/food-safety-program
- An SOP is a written, repeatable method for a single task, specific enough that two people follow it the same way.
- An SSOP is an SOP for a cleaning or sanitation task: the surface or equipment, the chemical and its concentration, the contact time, the rinse, and who verifies the result.
- Fill every blank, replace the example rows with your own, and keep the revision history current so the copy on the floor matches the copy in the binder.

---

## Document control

| Field | Entry |
| --- | --- |
| Procedure title | |
| Document number | |
| Type (SOP or SSOP) | |
| Version | |
| Effective date | |
| Facility and area or line | |
| Prepared by | |
| Approved by (name and role) | |
| Next scheduled review | |

## Purpose

State what this procedure controls and why it exists — the outcome it protects,
whether that is a food-safety hazard, a quality specification, or a legal
requirement.

Purpose: ____

## Scope

Where and when this procedure applies, and — just as important — what it
deliberately does not cover.

Applies to (products, lines, areas, shifts): ____

Does not cover: ____

## Responsibilities

| Role | Responsibility under this procedure |
| --- | --- |
| (example) Line operator | Runs the steps below and records each check on the log |
| (example) Shift lead | Confirms the procedure was followed; signs the record |
| (example) Quality assurance | Reviews records; approves any deviation before product moves |
| | |
| | |

## Materials and equipment

Everything the task needs before it starts — tools, chemicals with their
concentration, personal protective equipment, forms, and any reference document.

- ____
- ____
- ____
- ____

## Procedure

Number each step in the order it happens. Every step names what is done, how
(settings, times, tools, chemical concentration), who does it, and how often.

| Step | What — the action | How — method, settings, tools, concentration | Who — role | Frequency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | (example) Sanitize the filler | Flush with ____ ppm sanitizer for ____ min, then potable-water rinse | Sanitation technician | Before each production run |
| 2 | | | | |
| 3 | | | | |
| 4 | | | | |
| 5 | | | | |
| 6 | | | | |

## Verification

How you confirm the procedure was both followed and effective — a separate act
from doing it. Name who checks, how, and how often.

| Verification activity | How | Who | Frequency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (example) Record review | Check every field is filled in and within limits | Shift lead | Each shift |
| (example) Sanitation effectiveness | ATP or environmental swab of the cleaned surface | Quality assurance | Weekly, and after any changeover |
| | | | |
| | | | |

## Records

The forms this procedure generates, and where they live. A procedure with no
record cannot be verified.

| Record or form | Where it is kept | Retention period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| (example) Sanitation log | Production binder, then QA archive | ____ |
| | | |
| | | |

## Revision history

Every change to this procedure, newest first. Document control means the
version running on the floor is the version written here.

| Version | Effective date | Change | Author |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| (example) 1.0 | ____ | Initial release | |
| | | | |
| | | | |

## For an SSOP

If this procedure is an SSOP, check that your operation's full set of sanitation
procedures covers the eight sanitation areas FDA names in its seafood HACCP rule
(21 CFR 123.11). That rule is written for fish and fishery products, but its
eight areas are the common backbone operators use for SSOPs across food
manufacturing:

1. Safety of water and ice that contact food or food-contact surfaces
2. Condition and cleanliness of food-contact surfaces, utensils, gloves, and outer garments
3. Prevention of cross-contamination from unsanitary objects, and from raw to ready-to-eat product
4. Maintenance of hand-washing, hand-sanitizing, and toilet facilities
5. Protection of food and food-contact surfaces from contaminants such as lubricants, condensate, and chemicals
6. Proper labeling, storage, and use of toxic compounds
7. Control of employee health conditions that could contaminate product
8. Exclusion of pests from the facility

- 21 CFR 123.11 (Sanitation control procedures): https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/123.11

Each area is usually its own SSOP, written on the structure above.