Hygiene in the kitchen: Worksheet, hygiene plan and HACCP mandatory documents according to LMHV

In many companies, a worksheet on hygiene in the kitchen is the only document that the workforce actually sees every day. Legally, it does not replace the hygiene plan according to Section 4 of the Food Hygiene Ordinance (LMHV) or the HACCP documentation according to Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004. However, it is the practical lever with which personal hygiene, cleaning intervals and temperature checks find their way into everyday work.

Anyone who creates a worksheet without knowing the underlying hygiene plan and the HACCP obligations is not documenting it, but rather decorating it. This article shows the legal requirements for kitchen hygiene, the mandatory content of a verifiable hygiene plan and the role of the hygiene officer from creation to training. The goal is a worksheet that passes the audit and works in shift operation.

Hygiene in commercial kitchens is subject to three central standards. Firstly, Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 regulates the general hygiene regulations for food business operators, while Article 5 requires a HACCP-based self-control system. Secondly, the German Food Hygiene Ordinance (LMHV) specifies the duty of care in Section 3 and the personnel hygiene requirements in Section 4. Thirdly, Section 42 of the Infection Protection Act (IfSG) regulates activity and employment bans for certain diseases; § 43 IfSG requires an initial instruction from the health department before the first action and an annual follow-up instruction in the company.

In addition, there is DIN 10514 (hygiene training), DIN 10516 (cleaning and disinfection), the allergen labelling requirement according to Art. 21 in conjunction with Annex II of the LMIV (EU 1169/2011) and the Quantity measurement regime of the deep-freeze chain according to the TLMV. Anyone who creates a worksheet must take all of these sources into account and break down the operational duties to the shift level.

The food business operator remains responsible for implementation; Internally, the task can be delegated to a hygiene officer. The order is made in writing; A mere job description is not enough in the exam case.

A verifiable hygiene plan serves as a higher-level control document; The worksheet extracts the instructions for shift and station from this. Mandatory content is: Scope (rooms, facilities, activities), personnel hygiene (work clothing, change cycles, hand washing, jewelry and nail rules, jewelry ban), cleaning and disinfection (what, how, with what, when, by whom), temperature monitoring (refrigerated, frozen, hot holding and core temperatures), pest monitoring (bait positions, sightings, test intervals), allergen and cross-contamination management, training and instructions, procedure in the event of deviations and Corrective measures.

The HACCP appendix to the hygiene plan documents critical control points (CCPs) with limit values, monitoring procedures and corrective measures. Typical CCPs in the kitchen are: receipt of goods (temperature, packaging, best before date), cooling (≤ 7 °C for perishable foods, ≤ 4 °C for meat, ≤ −18 °C for frozen), heating (core temperature ≥ 70 °C for at least two minutes), holding hot (≥ 65 °C), cooling of cooked food (from 60 °C to 10 °C within two hours).

The obligation to record most data is one year from creation. In the case of longer best-before dates or allergen incidents, it is extended depending on the marketability of the affected products.

Personal hygiene is the most common reason for complaints in official food inspections. § 4 LMHV in conjunction with Appendix II Chapter. VIII of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires a high level of personal cleanliness and suitable work clothing from every person working in food production.

The worksheet should specifically regulate: washing hands before the start of the shift, after every use of the toilet, after breaks, before and after handling raw meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables in contact with the ground, after coughing or sneezing, after touching waste. Hands are washed with warm water, liquid soap, for at least 20 seconds and dried with disposable towels. Gloves do not replace hand washing; they are changed between activities.

Work clothes are changed daily, aprons several times per shift; Street clothes stay in the locker. Hair is completely covered with a headgear; those with beards wear beard protection. Jewelry (rings, bracelets, watches, visible piercings) is prohibited during the activity; Wedding rings are tolerated in individual cases as long as they do not have a stone setting. Fingernails are kept short and clean; artificial nails and nail polish are prohibited. In the case of acute gastrointestinal symptoms, skin diseases or wounds, there is a ban on activity until medical clearance according to Section 42 IfSG. Deadline expires as soon as we become aware of it.

A cleaning and disinfection plan (R+D plan) is part of the hygiene plan and is shown in abbreviated form in the worksheet. DIN 10516 structures it according to area, object, frequency, means, concentration, exposure time, method and responsibility. The five classic cleaning stages are pre-cleaning, main cleaning, intermediate rinsing, disinfection, final rinsing; Some products combine stages.

Example intervals in the kitchen: Work surfaces are cleaned and disinfected after every activity and at least after every shift. Cutting boards are separated by colour code (red meat, blue fish, green vegetables, white baked goods, yellow poultry, brown sausage) and cleaned after each activity. Equipment that comes into contact with food is cleaned at least daily, and critical components such as slicers are cleaned several times a day. Floors are wet cleaned daily, walls weekly, ceilings and ventilation quarterly.

Disinfectants must be DGHM/VAH listed and adhere to the concentration and exposure time specified by the manufacturer. The wipe sample as a microbiological self-control (e.g. ATP measurement or contact sample) should be carried out at least monthly and documented. Anyone who shows gaps here risks fines of up to 100,000 euros per violation according to Section 60 LFGB. Audit-proof, documented, § 4-firm.

Temperature is the most important CCP in any kitchen operation. The worksheet should specify measurable values ​​and concrete measurement intervals, not abstract recommendations. Incoming goods: The temperature of each delivery is measured randomly (chilled goods ≤ 7 °C, meat ≤ 4 °C, fish on ice, frozen ≤ −18 °C, live mussels 5–10 °C). Best before date and packaging integrity are checked. If the limit is exceeded, refuse acceptance or accept with reservations with documentation.

Refrigeration: Every cold room and every freezer is checked at least twice a day; Data loggers with recording functions replace manual entry, provided they are calibrated and readable. Heating: Core temperatures are measured every time for critical foods (poultry, minced meat, egg dishes), target value ≥ 70 °C for at least two minutes. Keeping hot: ≥ 65 °C, maximum three hours. Reheating: ≥ 70 °C in the core, only once.

Cooling down cooked food is the most common hygiene mistake in commercial kitchens: from 60 °C to 10 °C within two hours, then immediately into the refrigerator. Anyone who allows daily production to cool openly risks the proliferation of spore-forming bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens) and thus food infections. More about templates and audit steps at CIVAC-FAQ.

According to Section 43 Paragraph 1 IfSG, every person who handles perishable food needs initial instructions from the health department or a doctor appointed by the health department before taking action for the first time. The initial instruction must not be older than three months at the start of the activity. Follow-up instructions are given annually by the employer and must be documented.

In addition, Art. 4 Para. 2 in conjunction with Appendix II Chapter. XII of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 provides hygiene training for employees according to their work. Content and interval result from DIN 10514: basic training annually, in-depth training for key positions every six months, event-related training for new products, new devices, incidents or legal changes.

The worksheet itself can be part of the training, but does not replace it. Training records include the date, content, trainer, participants and signatures and are retained for at least three years. Anyone responsible for training as a hygiene officer benefits from reusable modules. CIVAC provides 490 ready-to-use audit templates in the Workspace; several of these cover training, instruction and R+D credentials. The appointment certificate, signed, filed, verifiable.

Pest monitoring is a mandatory part of the hygiene plan. The minimum equipment includes bait boxes on external and internal walls, UV insect catchers at goods receipt and delivery, fly screens on windows and ventilation openings. Sightings are documented; In the event of an infestation, an escalation procedure takes place via the pest controller with DSV proof. The bait plans with locations and test intervals belong in the file; The worksheet only shows the employees' obligation to screen.

Allergens: The LMIV requires information about 14 main allergens. Cross-contamination between products declared allergen-free and products containing allergens must be prevented by spatial or temporal separation, separate devices or thorough interim cleaning. The worksheet regulates cleaning routines before allergen-free production, marking of allergen devices (e.g. blue cutting board for gluten-free production) and labelling in service.

Traceability according to Art. 18 Regulation (EC) 178/2002 requires the documentation of the flow of goods “one step forward and one step back”. Goods receipt lists, batch numbers, supplier receipts and quantity bookings must be accessible at all times. In the event of a recall, the supervisory authority goes through the receipts; Late reactions lead to orders according to § 39 LFGB.

Many freely available worksheets fail in three ways: too abstract, too complete, too non-binding. A good worksheet specifically names the activity, the place, the means, the interval and the person. It fits on one page, is readable in shift operation (font size ≥ 11 pt) and follows the kitchen station logic (preparation, warm production, cold production, dishwashing area, storage).

It dispenses with legal citations and transfers this burden to the hygiene plan and training documents. It names a responsibility for each task, not “the team.” It contains a field for shift manager sign-off and a field for corrective measures if a target specification has been violated.

It is checked regularly (at least annually), with every change in the hygiene plan, with new products, new devices and after every incident. Retention periods for completed worksheets depend on the underlying risk: at least one year from creation, three years for safety-relevant temperature measurements. Anyone who tracks the HACCP portion in software and uses the worksheet as a shift interface combines audit security with practical relevance. Others run compliance like a filing cabinet. We run it like software.

Hygiene in the kitchen is not a poster topic, but a documented process with clear responsibilities. Anyone looking for a worksheet is actually looking for three things: an auditable hygiene plan, a HACCP system and an operational shift document that translates these two into reality.

CIVAC operates a compliance platform and officer-as-a-service for this purpose. Templates for the hygiene plan, R+D plan, HACCP system, training certificates and instruction documentation in accordance with Section 43 IfSG are available in the workspace; the data is stored in the EU and secured via an ISO 27001:2022 ISMS. The hygiene officer receives an appointment certificate, reporting line and a clear follow-up cycle. Licence the workspace for your internal representatives - or have our representatives order it.

Turn reading into a mandate. If you want to get a kitchen, a chain of stores or a canteen clean through the next food inspection, write to info@civac.de or use the contact form. We will contact you within two working days with an initial assessment and a template package that is tailored to the respective company.