Templates and records · IFS Food · Clause 4.10
IFS Food cleaning and disinfection record
Proof that every area and every piece of equipment is cleaned as the plan says, and that the cleaning works, not just that it was done.
In one sentence
In IFS Food the cleaning and disinfection record documents completion of the cleaning programme — area or equipment, method, products and concentration, person responsible, date — and its periodic verification and validation by inspection, ATP or microbiological testing, as clause 4.10 of the standard requires.
- Where the standard requires it
- IFS Food · Clause 4.10 Clause references follow the numbering of IFS Food Version 8. Where a record underpins a KO requirement, its sheet says so.
- Type of information
- Mandatory record Record to be retained (4.10)
- Who fills it in
- Cleaning or production staff Verified by the shift manager or quality; validation is planned by quality
- When
- At the frequency in the programme After each clean; verification at the defined frequency; validation periodically and after changes
- How long it is kept
- Shelf life plus one year, at least IFS Food requires records to be kept in line with legislation and for at least one year after the specified shelf life; if the product has none, the period must be justified (2.1.2).
What the standard requires
What IFS Food demands and what it leaves to your judgement
IFS requires cleaning and disinfection programmes based on risk analysis, stating for each area and piece of equipment what is cleaned, how often, with which product and method, and who is responsible. Staff must be trained and chemicals identified and controlled.
Recording that cleaning has been done is not enough: the result must be verified and the method periodically validated as effective, especially where cleaning is part of allergen control or control of microbiological contamination.
The legal basis and structure of a general cleaning plan are covered in the HACCP prerequisites template; here we look at what IFS adds in verification and validation.
Structure
Fields the template should include
- Area or equipment and reference to the cleaning instruction
- Date, time and shift
- Product, concentration and contact time
- Person cleaning
- Visual or instrumental verification (ATP, swab) and result
- Action taken if verification is nonconforming
- Release of the line for production and who authorises it
Example
Example: cleaning the mixer after a product containing nuts
Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Equipment | Mixer 2 · instruction CI-07 (allergen product changeover) |
| Date and shift | 9 October 2026 · afternoon |
| Product | Alkaline detergent at 2% · 10 min · rinse and disinfectant at 0.5% |
| Cleaned by | Cleaning operative (CI-07 training up to date) |
| Verification | Visual conforming · ATP 85 RLU (limit 150) |
| Allergen | Rapid nut protein strip test: negative |
| Release | Shift manager · 17:45 |
At the audit
Mistakes auditors commonly flag
- Sheets signed in one go at the end of the week.
- A cleaning plan that does not match the plant's actual equipment.
- No validation of the cleaning used to remove allergens.
- Chemicals with no data sheet and no concentration control.
- Out-of-limit ATP results with no recorded action.
In Kimobox
How this record is kept in Kimobox
- 1Cleaning plans are loaded by area and equipment, and each task appears on the shift it belongs to.
- 2The operative records the cleaning from a mobile or terminal at the time, not with a signature at the end of the month.
- 3A nonconforming verification opens an incident and blocks release of the line.
- 4Cleaning staff training is controlled in the role-based matrix, with a reminder before it expires.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask us before getting started
What is the difference between verifying and validating cleaning?
Verifying means checking each time, or at a set frequency, that cleaning has been done properly: visual inspection, ATP. Validating means showing with data that the chosen method is capable of removing the hazard, for example a specific allergen or pathogen.
Is ATP needed after every clean?
No. IFS asks for verification according to risk. The usual approach combines daily visual inspection with ATP or swabs at critical points at a defined frequency.
Is contracted cleaning recorded too?
Yes. The company remains responsible: the contract defines the scope, and the service records and the company's own verification must be available.
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Sources
Where each figure comes from
References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.
- IFS Food Version 8 — Standard for auditing product and process compliance in relation to food safety and quality IFS Management GmbH · Version 8, April 2023
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs EUR-Lex · 29 April 2004