The sanitary control plan for foodservice

As a catering professional, you have to comply with a number of stringent requirements, including the sanitary control plan or PMS. These European hygiene regulations apply to all establishments involved in the holding, preparation or distribution of foodstuffs. Their aim is to guarantee better food safety for all those who frequent them. 

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What is the food service control plan? 

Also known by its acronym PMS, the sanitary control plan is a set of preventive and self-monitoring measures designed to guarantee food hygiene in your restaurant and avoid any Collective Food Toxi-Infection. This tool is essential for controlling the environment of the food production chain, thus ensuring product safety.

It rests on three pillars:

1. Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). GMP covers all production parameters that could be the source of contamination, such as your personnel, your premises (including supplies and equipment) and your production process (food reception, storage, preparation, cooking, preservation, etc.). The application of these BPH aims to limit the risk of food contamination and endangering consumers (cf: appendix I of EC regulation no. 852/2004 and appendix III of EC regulation no. 853/2004). 

GMPs, on the other hand, apply to the manufacturing process, such as the use of appropriate temperatures or the correct dosage of foodstuffs. 

2. Procedures based on the principles of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

3. The implementation of communication and product traceability mechanisms to ensure transparent and traceable management throughout the food chain.

Need help setting up a sanitary control plan in your collective restaurant? Download the PMS recommendation guide drawn up by players in the contract catering sector and several government departments.

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Good hygiene and manufacturing practices 

To put these prerequisites in place, you can rely on the 5M method. As its name suggests, this method lists 5 factors that are potential sources of contamination: Environment, Workforce, Equipment, Methods and Materials. Your role is then to list all the measures to be adopted in each of these categories to limit the risks. 

Environment 

Here, your aim is to ensure that your premises are not a source of contamination. 

Let's start with the basics: your workspace must be clean and in good condition. The layout and materials used must be designed to facilitate cleaning and disinfection. For floors and walls, for example, choose smooth materials that are easier to clean. 

Toilets also need special attention. These, like cleaning and disinfecting products, must be kept away from areas where food is handled. Hand-washing sinks must be installed separately from those used for washing food. Your premises must have ventilation with regularly-changed filters, and sufficient lighting. Last but not least, we recommend that you provide a changing room to separate civilian clothes from work uniforms. 

The workforce

Another potential contamination factor is the workforce. Your staff must be in good health and trained in the various rules of hygiene and HACCP principles. They must also wear appropriate clothing (gown, mask, cap, gloves) and wash their hands regularly. 

The material 

Equipment can also be a source of contamination. That's why it's important to regularly clean and disinfect worktops, storage, preservation and cooking areas, and so on. No detail should be overlooked. Think, for example, of the hand-washing basin. For it to be as hygienic as possible, it must be possible to operate it without anyone having to touch the water valve via a foot or knee control. 

The methods

Methods also have their part to play in improving food safety, starting with the water used during the production process. This must be clean and potable. To avoid the risk of cross-contamination, all contact between waste and foodstuffs must be avoided. The implementation of a cleaning plan detailing the frequency of interventions, the products used and the protocol to be followed is also part of the reflexes to be adopted. 

Inventory must be managed on a "first-in, first-out" basis. Last but not least, you need to ensure that staff use the right temperatures, and control the dosage of ingredients. 

The material

Materials are the final M in this reminder method. You need to know by heart the foodstuffs used in your facility, from their origin to their hygienic quality and the ingredients they contain. Storage conditions, throughout the production chain, must be adapted to your products. We're talking here about temperature, ventilation and cleanliness, 3 real bulwarks against contamination. 

5M, and you're all set!

👉 Further information: Health checks in your restaurant: everything you need to know

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HACCP

HACCP is the second pillar of your PMS. It is mandatory for all establishments and players in the food chain. This approach is based on 7 fundamental principles, enabling the identification, description and evaluation of safety and hygiene measures implemented from receipt of foodstuffs through to sale. 

1. Analyze: identify potential hazards (chemical, physical or microbiological) using the 5M method described above. 

2. Identify: define critical points for each of the risks identified in the first step. 

3. Set limits for each of these critical points. For example: a use-by date, a storage period, a cooking temperature, etc. 

4. Set up a monitoring system with regular, organized self-checking mechanisms. For example, take daily temperature readings in storage chambers. 

5. Correct, i.e. take corrective action when the result of a self-check is unsatisfactory. For example: discard food likely to be dangerous for customers following a temperature problem, or have the fridge in question repaired. Point number 5 also implies that you should constantly question your HACCP method. Are the critical points identified and the limits set still relevant?

6. Have all teams apply the above steps, every day of the week. 

7. Archive all controls performed for future reference.

👉 To find out more: the HACCP approach in foodservice: the complete guide

Product traceability 

Product traceability is the final pillar of the sanitary control plan for contract catering. For this, it is important to refer to EC regulation 178/2002. This lays down all procedures relating to the safety of foodstuffs, and in particular requires the implementation of food traceability. As a restaurateur, you need to be able to trace a product's journey from production to distribution to the consumer, at any time. 

It's your responsibility to archive all information tracing the history of any food used in your kitchens. The aim here is to guarantee the health safety of your customers, by being able to quickly identify and withdraw from sale any non-compliant product.

What information do you need to keep? 

• the exact nature of the product, its volume and quantity,
• your supplier's name and address,
• product batch number,
• the date of receipt of the goods,
• a description of the product and its packaging.

👉 Further information: Mandatory signage in restaurants: the rules you need to know

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