How long do your production lines run before executing a sanitation event? Hours? Days? Weeks? Do you have the necessary documentation to justify the run times? As a common practice, many facilities conduct routine daily sanitation—typically a third-shift operation. However, regulations do not require that sanitation must occur within 24 hours¹, nor is there a free pass² for running up to 24 hours without a cleaning measure (or assessment).
While some may argue that with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Less than Daily Sanitation guidance published in 2009, it is implied that a line may run for a full day before it is cleaned. However, the guidance says³ that “there have never been FSIS [Food Safety and Inspection Service] regulations that required an establishment to conduct cleanup every twenty-four hours or within any other specified period.” What the regulations do require is that sanitation must be done as necessary/appropriate, and the rationale should be captured in the supporting documentation for the facility’s food safety/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan.