United States
Hong KongHow often things get cleaned, and what decides it
Food-contact surfaces in continuous use with TCS food at room temperature are cleaned and sanitized every 4 hours. Also between raw and ready-to-eat use, whenever the task changes, after any contamination, and at the end of the shift.
Some frequencies are fixed by the Code. Most are set by the manager and have to be defensible, which is the distinction the exam tests.
The fixed ones
| Situation | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Food-contact surfaces in continuous use with TCS food at room temperature | Every 4 hours |
| Between raw animal food and ready-to-eat food | Always |
| Between different types of raw animal food | Always |
| When the task changes | Always |
| After any contamination | Immediately |
| Equipment in cold holding at 5°C (41°F) or below | Longer intervals permitted, per the Code table |
| Utensils and equipment, end of use | Before storage |
The four hours is the number that gets asked. It applies to continuous use at room temperature, and cold-held equipment gets longer because growth is slower.
The ones you set
Floors, walls, ceilings, non-food-contact equipment surfaces, storage shelving, ventilation filters, drains, ice machines, bins.
The Code says these are kept clean. It does not say how often, because the right interval depends on the operation. A fryer line needs its hood filters cleaned far more often than a sandwich shop.
The test is not whether a written schedule exists. It is whether the surfaces are actually clean, and whether the manager can explain why the interval is what it is. A schedule that produces dirty equipment is the wrong schedule.
A cleaning schedule that works
- Every item, named specifically. "The kitchen" is not an item.
- Frequency, and who does it.
- The method and the chemical, at the right dilution.
- A sign-off, at the time rather than at the end of the week.
- A verification step, where a supervisor checks rather than reads.
That last one is the difference between monitoring and verification, and it is the same distinction HACCP draws.
Cleaning in place
Equipment too large to move - a slicer, a mixer, a soft-serve machine - is cleaned in place, disassembled to the extent the manufacturer specifies.
The slicer is worth naming. It is the single most commonly cited piece of equipment in inspection reports, because it is fiddly to disassemble and it is used for ready-to-eat food.
The end-of-shift question
A surface used through service and cleaned at close is not compliant if it was in continuous use with TCS food at room temperature for more than four hours.
That is the trap. The end-of-shift clean is necessary and it is not sufficient.
Common questions
How often must food-contact surfaces be cleaned?
Every four hours when in continuous use with TCS food at room temperature, and always between raw and ready-to-eat use, between different raw animal foods, when the task changes, and after any contamination.
Why do cold-held surfaces get longer intervals?
Because pathogen growth is far slower at 5°C (41°F) or below. The Food Code sets out a table of longer permitted intervals for equipment held cold.
Does the Code set a frequency for floors and walls?
No. It requires them to be kept clean, and the manager sets an interval they can defend. The test is whether the surfaces are actually clean, not whether a schedule exists on paper.
Is cleaning at the end of the shift enough?
Not for a surface in continuous use with TCS food at room temperature for more than four hours. The end-of-shift clean is necessary but does not satisfy the four-hour rule on its own.
What equipment is cited most often?
The slicer, because it is fiddly to disassemble and is used for ready-to-eat food. Equipment too large to move is cleaned in place, disassembled to the extent the manufacturer specifies.