What does Sanepid check during a restaurant inspection?

Sanepid (the Polish sanitary inspection) checks four areas: documentation (HACCP manual, staff medical certificates, temperature and washing logs, pest-control and waste-collection contracts), the hygiene condition of the kitchen and storage rooms (including spaces behind equipment), personnel hygiene (basins, clothing, instructions) and waste management. Fines for violations typically range from 100 to 5000 zł, and if health is at risk the premises can be closed by administrative decision.

How often should each kitchen zone be cleaned?

Worktops and small utensils — after every work cycle; floors, sinks and the dishwasher — daily; hood filters and refrigerator interiors — weekly; walls, spaces behind equipment and machine deep-scrubbing — monthly; the hood with its ventilation ductwork — twice a year by a specialist company, with a report.

How does the color-coding system work in food service cleaning?

Four equipment colors prevent cross-contamination: red — toilets and sanitary areas, yellow — washbasins and fittings, green — kitchen and food zone, blue — dining room and general surfaces. A cloth or mop never crosses between zones; this is the industry standard HACCP auditors expect.

What is the difference between washing and disinfection?

Washing removes dirt and grease with detergent; disinfection destroys microbes with a biocidal agent — and it only works on a clean surface. The full process is: cleaning → washing → rinsing → disinfection, observing the contact time from the label. Skipping the wash before disinfecting is the most common execution error in food service.

Can restaurant cleaning be outsourced to an external company?

Yes — night cleaning after closing is the standard model — but responsibility for food safety always stays with the restaurateur. The cleaning company must work to the venue's hygiene plan, keep the records and use products approved for food contact; its staff should be HACCP-trained.

Which records must be kept for Sanepid?

The minimum: a washing and disinfection log (date, time, scope, product, signature), a daily temperature log for cold rooms (+2…+4°C) and freezers (≤ −18°C), a toilet inspection card, pest-control (DDD) reports, and grease-trap and hood cleaning reports. Gaps in the records are caught just as often as actual dirt.

Checklist · food service

Restaurant cleaning checklist — HACCP washing and disinfection plan

A complete washing and disinfection schedule for food service: the kitchen with its food-contact surfaces, cold rooms with a temperature log, the dishwashing area, dining room, bar and toilets. Frequencies follow GHP and Regulation (EC) 852/2004 — print it as part of your HACCP manual.

Download the printable PDF Print version

48 checkpoints · A4 format · Updated: July 2026

At a glance

Checkpoints: 48
Zones / stages: 7
Quality control: 8 steps
Format: PDF / A4

Checklist compliant with Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (Annex II) and GHP rules: food-contact surfaces washed and disinfected after every work cycle, temperature logs for cold rooms (+2…+4°C) and freezers (≤ −18°C) kept daily, equipment color-coded. HACCP has been mandatory for food service establishments in Poland since 2006.

Checklist

What does restaurant cleaning cover — zone by zone?

Tick the items one by one while accepting the cleaning. Frequencies: weekly — at least once a week, monthly — once a month, quarterly — every 3 months.

Kitchen — work surfaces and equipment

	Worktops and cutting boards washed and disinfected — separately after handling raw meat and eggsRegulation (EC) 852/2004 Annex II — food-contact surfaces	per work cycle
	Knives and small utensils (spatulas, tongs, GN containers) washed, rinsed and disinfected	after use
	Slicer, shredder and mixer disassembled and cleaned (blades, guards, handles)	daily
	Sinks and food-washing stations cleaned — kept separate from handwashing basins852/2004 Annex II Ch. I — separate basins for handwashing	daily
	Stoves, griddles and fryers cleaned; fryer deep-cleaned at every oil change	daily
	Combi oven chamber washed (cleaning program + door seals and rack guides)	daily
	Hood casing wiped free of grease film; grease filters degreased	casing: daily · filters: weekly
	Walls and splashbacks at workstations foam-washed	weekly
	Floor drains and drain grates cleaned and disinfected	every 7–10 days

Storage rooms and refrigeration equipment

	Cold room (+2…+4°C) and freezer (≤ −18°C) temperatures read and entered in the logHACCP monitoring — temperature log available for Sanepid inspection	daily
	Refrigerator interiors washed and disinfected: shelves, rails, door seals	weekly
	Freezers defrosted, washed and disinfected	monthly
	Expiry dates and FIFO/FEFO rotation checked, expired products removed	daily
	Shelving and platforms washed; products stored min. 10–15 cm above the floor	weekly
	Visual check for signs of pests; pest-control (DDD) monitoring stations checked per contractPest-control (DDD) contract and reports — must be produced at inspection	daily

Dishwashing area, cleaning equipment and waste

	Bins (lidded) emptied; food waste taken outside the production zone	daily / before full
	Waste containers and the waste storage area washed and disinfected	weekly (organic: daily)
	Dishwasher cleaned: filters, spray arms, chamber; sanitizing rinse temperature checked	daily
	Dishwashing-area floor and walls washed, utility sink disinfected	daily
	Cloths and mops laundered at min. 60°C, equipment dried (mop never left standing in dirty water)	daily
	Color coding observed: red — toilets, yellow — washbasins, green — food zoneIndustry standard (not a statutory requirement) recommended by HACCP auditors	ongoing
	Grease trap cleaned by a service company, report kept on file	per contract (1–3 mo.)

Dining room and bar

	Tables washed and disinfected (tabletop after every guest; edges, legs and frames daily)	per guest / daily
	Touch points wiped with disinfectant: door handles, railings, payment terminals, menus	daily (2–3× at peak)
	Dining room floor swept and wet-mopped	daily
	Bar cleaned: counter, taps, drip trays, bar fridges, coffee machine (steam wand after every frothing)	daily
	Entrance glazing and doors free of fingerprints	2–3×/week
	Tablecloths and napkins sent to the laundry; high chairs washed and disinfected	after use
	Windowsills, trim, lamps and picture frames dusted	weekly

Guest and staff toilets

	Toilet bowls, seats, urinals, washbasins and taps washed and disinfected (red/yellow equipment)	min. 2× daily
	Soap, towels and paper restocked; toilet inspection card signed with the timeToilet inspection card = record produced at Sanepid inspections	every 1–2 h at peak
	Mirrors, dispensers and hand dryers cleaned	daily
	Toilet floors washed and disinfected	daily
	Wall tiles around urinals and washbasins washed	weekly
	Sanitary bins emptied and disinfected	daily

Staff facilities and personnel hygiene

	Handwashing basins in working order: hot and cold water, soap, disposable towels, handwashing instructionsRegulation (EC) 852/2004 Annex II Ch. I pt 4	daily check
	Staff room cleaned: table, counters, sink; staff fridge inside once a week	daily
	Changing room: floor washed, lockers separating personal and work clothing	daily / lockers: weekly
	Disinfectant stock at workstations and first-aid kit completeness checked	daily
	Work clothing changed / sent to the laundry	daily

Periodic work and deep cleaning

	Kitchen walls and ceilings washed using the foam/gel method	monthly
	Spaces behind and under equipment deep-cleaned (ovens, fridges, shelving, plinths)Trap point no. 1 at inspections — where grease builds up and pests nest	monthly
	Kitchen floors machine-scrubbed (grout, anti-slip coating)	monthly
	Light fixtures and insect-killer lamps cleaned, glue boards replaced	monthly
	Hood and extraction ductwork cleaned by a specialist company (with report)Industry recommendation and insurer requirement — no single statutory frequency	2×/year
	Pest-control (DDD) visit received, station plan and reports updated	per contract
	Windows, display glazing and outdoor signage washed	quarterly
	Dishwasher and coffee machine descaled / water softener serviced	monthly–quarterly

Acceptance procedure

Food service cleanliness audit — 8 steps before a Sanepid inspection

The audit route runs "from clean to dirty": storage → kitchen → dishwashing area → waste → toilets. The acceptance criterion is always measurable — a white cloth, a signed log, a thermometer — never a general impression.

Walk the route from clean to dirty with the checklist in hand, rating each zone YES/NO — never the other way round (you carry dirt into the clean zones).
White-cloth test on critical surfaces: worktop, fridge door seal, hood filter, a table leg in the dining room — a greasy or grey mark = fail.
Cross-check the records against reality: washing and disinfection log, temperature log, toilet card — entries with time and signature, no backfilling.
Verify the chemicals: safety data sheets available, products approved for food contact, concentrations and contact times matching the hygiene plan.
Check the color coding: red equipment only in toilets, green only in the food zone; mops clean, dried, odour-free.
Inspect the trap points: spaces behind and under equipment, drain grates, fridge seals, bottom shelves of racks — these reveal the real quality of the service.
Once a month take an objective measurement: an ATP luminometer test or contact plates from worktops and cutting boards; a result over the limit = rewash and disinfect.
Close the quality loop: log deviations in a report with a responsible person and a deadline (24–48 h), re-inspect and keep the documentation for Sanepid.

GHP, HACCP and records — what Sanepid actually requires

The law does not mandate a "checklist" as such — it requires implemented, documented GHP/GMP procedures and a HACCP system (mandatory in Poland since 2006). In practice an inspection covers four areas: documentation (HACCP manual, washing and disinfection logs, temperature log, pest-control and waste-collection contracts), the hygiene condition of the kitchen and storage rooms, personnel hygiene, and waste management.

The record-keeping minimum for any establishment: a washing and disinfection log (date, time, scope, product, signature), a daily temperature log for cold rooms and freezers, a toilet inspection card, plus pest-control (DDD) and grease-trap cleaning reports. Printed and signed day after day, this checklist serves as the first of those records.

Washing vs disinfection — four stages, not one

The correct process in food service has four stages: cleaning (removing residue), washing with detergent, rinsing, and only then disinfection. Disinfecting a dirty surface does not work — the agent binds to the grease layer instead of the microbes. That is why "washed and disinfected" in this checklist always means two separate actions.

The second pillar is separating zones by equipment: the four-color system (red — toilets, yellow — washbasins and sanitary fittings, green — food zone, blue — general surfaces) is not a statutory requirement, but it is the standard auditors expect — and its absence is hard to defend after a food poisoning incident.

Questions

Short answers.

The law does not explicitly require a checklist, but it does require documented GHP/GMP procedures and a HACCP system — and without a washing and disinfection schedule with a completion log there is no way to document them. In practice, a printed checklist with date, time and signature is the simplest form of record accepted at inspection.

Is your kitchen ready for any inspection?

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