A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of directions that should (must) be followed to ensure food safety when completing certain tasks such as cooking chicken, cooling a food, or sanitizing a work surface. These SOP's should be used as a guide to establishing a food safety program for your operation.
The National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) has developed food safety SOPs in conjunction with USDA and FDA. Although the NFSMI SOPs include HACCP-based principles, you should remember that SOPs are only one component of an overall food safety program.
Please feel free to use these SOPs, but for effectiveness, it is critical to customize them to fit your facilities.
Food safety SOPs include the following principles:
- Corrective actions
- Monitoring procedures
- Verification procedures
- Record keeping procedures
This resource provides sample food safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and worksheets which contain the minimum elements that can assist you when developing your food safety program. Print the food safety SOPs and complete the worksheets which have been included in this resource and you will see a model for developing your food safety program.