Plan de maîtrise sanitaire – Blank PDF to print

Ensuring food safety is a priority in the restaurant industry. The Sanitary Control Plan (SCP) is an essential document that structures and formalizes good hygiene practices within your establishment. It is based on the principles of the HACCP method (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) to prevent and control food risks.

In this article, we offer you a comprehensive guide to the SCP: its purpose, mandatory documents, best practices to adopt, and much more. As a bonus, download a free blank SCP template to print and customize, to help you better understand the regulations and structure your own sanitary control plan. ✅

What is the sanitary control plan or PMS?❓ 

• Biological;
• Physical;
• Chemical.

It includes the Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), the HACCP plan (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), and traceability of foodstuffs. It helps prevent health risks, ensure compliance with current regulations, and demonstrate, in case of inspection, that the establishment applies strict rules regarding food safety.

Why is it mandatory? ⚖️

The Sanitary Control Plan (SCP) is a regulatory requirement for all establishments in the food sector. It stems from the Hygiene Package, a set of European regulations aimed at ensuring food safety.

The regulatory framework of the SCP is based on several European regulations, including:

• Regulation (EC) No 178/2002: Defines the general principles of food law, applicable to all actors in the food and animal supply chains.
• Regulation (EC) No 852/2004: Requires the implementation of the HACCP method to ensure the hygiene of foodstuffs.
• Regulation (EC) No 853/2004: Specifies the obligation of a health approval for food of animal origin.
• Regulation (EC) No 183/2005: Sets hygiene requirements for feed and requires registration or approval of operators.
• Regulation (EU) 2017/625: Oversees official controls to ensure compliance with food legislation.

Health authorities, such as the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP), conduct inspections to verify the implementation and application of the SCP. In case of non-compliance, sanctions may be applied:

✅ Formal notice to the establishment.
❌ Administrative closure in case of proven health risk.
⚖️ Fines and legal proceedings in case of serious breach.

A well-structured and implemented SCP thus ensures consumer safety and avoids any risk of sanctions.

Who is it for? ⚠️

The Sanitary Control Plan (SCP) applies to all professionals handling, processing, or distributing food products. It concerns various establishments, whether in the restaurant, agri-food, or distribution sectors. ⚠️

This obligation concerns different types of establishments:

• Traditional and gourmet restaurants,
• Fast-food outlets, food trucks, and sandwich shops,
• Collective catering: school canteens, corporate restaurants, and healthcare establishments,
• Caterers and event organizers.

Other types of establishments are also concerned by the SCP, such as:

• Agri-food industries, food retailers and distributors,
• Logistics and food transport professions.

Objectives of the Sanitary Control Plan in catering ⚠️

The Sanitary Control Plan (SCP) has one main objective: to guarantee food safety for consumers by limiting health risks related to the handling and preparation of food. ✅

In a restaurant, food products can be exposed to various hazards: bacterial, chemical, or physical contamination, break in the cold chain, non-compliance of raw materials, etc. The SCP helps anticipate, control, and manage these risks through a set of good practices and adapted procedures. ⚠️

By implementing an SCP, a catering establishment ensures:

• Compliance with food hygiene regulations (Hygiene Package, HACCP).
• Protection of customers against food poisoning and other health risks.
• Better traceability of products to quickly identify any anomaly.
• An efficient organization for staff, with clear and adapted procedures.

In this free HACCP training course, we explain how to build a PMS simply:

• ✅ How to structure your PMS?
• ✅ How to adapt it to your establishment?
• ✅ Which documents are mandatory?

Traceability and non-conformity management,
Application of HACCP principles,
Good food hygiene practices.

? To help you, we offer you a blank PMS template in PDF format, ready to be completed and adapted to your business! Go to the end of the article.

What should be in a sanitary control plan?

Good Hygiene Practices in Catering ✅

Good hygiene practices cover all aspects of an establishment that can be sources of contamination. The “5 M” method, which lists the measures to maintain hygiene, concerns:

1. Environment: the premises, layout of rooms, access to different areas and work surfaces, movement of food products, ventilation…
2. Workforce: which must be trained in good practices, wear appropriate clothing, and respect hygiene rules;
3. Equipment: which must be regularly cleaned and disinfected. It should have a maintenance contract with approved suppliers;
4. Methods: all rules to follow in daily practice to prevent contamination risks (for example, using clean water to wash and prepare food, avoiding contact between food waste and food products, having an appropriate cleaning schedule…);
5. Raw Materials: this concerns the path of food products from reception to the customer’s plate.

In practice, the Sanitary Control Plan operationally divides these points into 8 main themes:

1. Personnel;
2. Maintenance of premises, equipment, and tools;
3. Hygiene measures applicable to all areas of the establishment;
4. Pest control plan;
5. Supply of hot and cold drinking water;
6. Waste management;
7. Temperature control;
8. Checks upon receipt of food products.

By implementing these good hygiene practices, you drastically reduce the risks of foodborne illness outbreaks (FIO) and other health issues.

Hazard Control Procedures Based on HACCP Principles ⚠️

1. ⚠️ Hazard analysis;
2. ❓ Identification of Critical Control Points (CCPs);
3. ❌ Establishment of critical limits not to be exceeded;
4. ❓ Implementation of a monitoring procedure for critical points;
5. ✅ Definition and implementation of corrective actions when a critical point is not controlled;
6. ✔️ Verification of the effectiveness of corrective actions;
7. ❓ Establishment of a documentation system.

In addition to these 7 principles, the HACCP method requires the composition of an HACCP team, the implementation of a training plan, product descriptions, and the formalization of a manufacturing flow diagram.

Traceability and Non-Conformity Management ⚠️

Traceability is the central element of the Sanitary Control Plan. It ensures the tracking of food products at every stage of production and compliance with procedures to guarantee food safety and consumer protection. It relies on the recording of data related to food products and actions taken in line with HACCP procedures. ⚠️

Traceability retraces the origin and path of a product from its reception and entry into stock, through its various transformations, up to your customer’s plate. It is accompanied by numerous formal records that are archived and immediately accessible during self-inspections and sanitary controls. ✅

In case of non-compliance, traceability allows identification of the implicated product, tracking back through the supply chain, and implementation of corrective procedures. ⚠️

You can also digitize your SCP with the Octopus HACCP application. All your records are logged in the application and accessible at any time! Data entry is simplified thanks to intuitive screens and features adapted to your activity.

How to Implement a Sanitary Control Plan? ⚠️

Writing Documents Related to Good Hygiene Practices (GHP)?

Writing documents related to Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) is essential to structure the procedures to be followed in your establishment. These documents detail the rules to comply with to ensure food safety (temperature management, equipment cleaning, etc.).

Documents to include in the SCP are notably:
✅ The cleaning and disinfection plan,
✅ The production sheets for each type of product prepared,
✅ The temperature control procedures,
✅ The personnel hygiene instructions (hand washing, clothing, etc.).

Staff Training?

A well-trained team is a guarantee of health safety. Your team must be made aware of the principles of the HACCP method and good hygiene practices to quickly identify risks and apply necessary corrective measures.

• The main training topics include:
• Food handling,
• Temperature management,
• Cleaning and disinfection protocols,
• Allergen and non-compliance management.

⚠️ We recommend implementing a continuous training program and conducting regular refreshers to ensure compliance with hygiene rules.

Ensuring Monitoring and Compliance with the SCP

Regular checks are essential to ensure the daily application of the SCP. This involves:
⚠️ Regular temperature recordings of cold rooms, refrigerators, and during cooking,
⚠️ cleaning verifications of equipment and workspaces,
⚠️ Internal audits to ensure SCP compliance,
⚠️ non-compliance management, including the implementation of corrective actions.

It is recommended to appoint a responsible person or team to oversee the SCP to ensure its proper functioning.

Octopus HACCP does not replace an SCP but facilitates its implementation. The application allows you to:

• Secure your temperature recordings,
• Manage full traceability of your activity (reception, non-conformities, secondary expiration date labeling),
• Simplify the cleaning plan monitoring and much more!

Blank Sanitary Control Plan: Download it for free in PDF ⚠️

This example of a blank sanitary control plan in PDF format must be adapted to each establishment according to your production protocols, specific constraints, equipment, etc.

We invite you to consult a professional to customize your sanitary control plan so that no important points related to your production conditions are overlooked. Each section must be adapted to your establishment, etc.

This document is not exhaustive.