Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
An SSOP should be created for each piece of equipment and surface within the
department, therefore a department would have a full portfolio of SSOPs, as well as
a corresponding schedule of when each SSOP should be executed. The frequencies
of SSOP execution may be based on the regulatory standard by which the facility is
governed (such as the Food Code in the US) as well as the retailers' experience and/
or production load. For instance, some items, such as utensils, might be cleaned on
an as needed basis. Others, such as food contact surfaces used at ambient tempera-
tures (a deli slicer), may be on a wash, rinse, sanitize frequency of every 4 h. Other
areas and surfaces may be on daily, weekly, or even monthly cycles. Every surface
or piece of equipment should be evaluated by the retailer as to its use and food
safety risk and placed on a SSOP cycle as necessary.
Once an SSOP is created, it should be evaluated to ensure it is effective for the
device or surface before it is put into use. This would ideally mean an evaluation in
a laboratory setting, using the typical soil the retail environment would encounter.
The evaluation should identify points and locations where soil may build up or cre-
ate harborage points where microbes may accumulate. The SSOP should be written
and evaluated to address the removal of the likely soil to be encountered, but also
determine if there is a potential for the soil to accumulate or be driven into areas
where it will subsequently be diffi cult to remove. Additionally, the procedure should
be evaluated to assure it is effective at a microbiological level. The purpose of a
cleaning and sanitizing step is to reduce microbes from the item being cleaned and
sanitized, and therefore laboratory testing is an appropriate way to evaluate the
effectiveness of the SSOP.
When testing the effectiveness of an SSOP, equipment should undergo a chal-
lenge study, where a soil and pathogen (such as
E. coli
) matrix is applied to the
equipment, the SSOP is executed as written, and the equipment surface is swabbed
to determine if the microbes have been removed. It may be necessary for the retailer
to work with the equipment manufacturer to redesign or reconfi gure the equipment
to assure the SSOP is effective both from a soil removal standpoint, but also from a
microbiological perspective. Finally, the SSOP should be evaluated from a stand-
point that it can and will be executed by the store level associate on the scheduled
frequency.
9.3
The Right Tools
The cleaning and sanitizing procedure, especially for equipment, may require the
use of tools. These may be tools to disassemble the equipment to facilitate cleaning,
but also tools to be used in the execution of the SSOP itself. The appropriate clean-
ing tools should be listed as a part of the SSOP and be available for use by the
associates in the store at all times.
Tools required to disassemble equipment should be easily accessible to the asso-
ciate designated to conduct the procedure and may have to be washed, rinsed, and
