Establishments must keep Sanitation SOP records for how long?

• A. 1 year
• B. 6 months
• C. 1 month
• D. 48 hours

Answer: (B)

Keeping Sanitation SOP records is about having a verifiable history of cleaning and sanitizing activities. The best choice is six months because this duration provides a recent, representative window to review how sanitation procedures were carried out, verify that cleaning and sanitizing steps were followed, and confirm that any issues were properly identified and corrected. It strikes a practical balance between having enough data to observe ongoing performance and not creating excessive recordkeeping burdens. Shorter timeframes, like one month or 48 hours, wouldn’t capture enough history to spot recurring problems or trends, while a full year is more than typically required for routine verification. Ensure these records include details such as dates, times, who performed the tasks, cleaning agents and sanitizer levels used, and notes on deviations and corrective actions, and keep them in a readily accessible place for inspections.