Hygiene and HACCP · EU · AT · DE

Cleaning and disinfection plan

A cleaning and disinfection plan sets out what is cleaned or disinfected, when, how and by whom. EU hygiene law requires clean, well-maintained premises and equipment; the plan itself is recommended by the European Commission and guidance documents. Official controls check your cleaning procedures. Very small businesses must at least be able to explain the routines.

Legal basis

EU — applies in Austria and Germany: Reg. (EC) 852/2004 Annex II: food premises “are to be kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition”, equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and, where necessary, disinfected, and cleaning agents are not stored in food handling areas.123
EU — applies in Austria and Germany: No law expressly requires the plan as a document. The Commission’s guidance recommends it (what, when, how, by whom); very small businesses must at least be able to explain the routines.145
AT — Austria: No separate provision; EU law applies directly. The WKO handbook describes cleaning and disinfection on p. 54 (guidance).16
DE — Germany: § 3 LMHV: food must not be adversely affected, according to § 2 also not by cleaning agents. Cleaning and disinfection are a mandatory topic of hygiene training.789

What the inspector wants to see

Which rooms and equipment are cleaned when, by whom, and who is responsible?410
Which agents do you use, at what concentration and with what contact time?4
Where are the cleaning agents stored?3
Is everything that is ticked off as done actually clean?11

Common mistakes

The plan is on the wall, but nobody ticks it off, and the inspector finds visible dirt.Practice
Disinfectant dosed without following the manufacturer’s instructions.4
Cleaning agents stored in the food area.3

Practise, read, print

The guide is in German for now.

Practise · 5 minCleaning & disinfection GuideReinigungsplan für die Gastronomie – Vorlage & Pflichten

Sources

We read every source in the original on the date shown and checked it against the text: EU law in its German-language version, the links lead to the English one. All sources and what has changed (in German)

1Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Annex II, Chapter I, point 1 · checked 23 September 2026
2Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Annex II, Chapter V, point 1(a) · checked 23 September 2026
3Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Annex II, Chapter I, point 10 · checked 23 September 2026
4Commission Notice 2022/C 355/01 on good hygiene practice and HACCP (guidance, not law), Annex I, point 3.2 (cleaning, disinfection) · checked 23 September 2026
5Commission Notice 2022/C 355/01 on good hygiene practice and HACCP (guidance, not law), Annex I, point 5 (documentation of good hygiene practice) · checked 23 September 2026
6AT — applies in AustriaAustrian Economic Chamber (WKO), handbook on hygiene in hospitality (as of July 2025), Austria, p. 54 (cleaning and disinfection) · in German, checked 23 September 2026
7DE — applies in GermanyLebensmittelhygiene-Verordnung (LMHV), the Food Hygiene Ordinance, Germany, § 3 · in German, checked 23 September 2026
8DE — applies in GermanyLebensmittelhygiene-Verordnung (LMHV), the Food Hygiene Ordinance, Germany, § 2 (1) 1 and 2 · in German, checked 23 September 2026
9DE — applies in GermanyLebensmittelhygiene-Verordnung (LMHV), the Food Hygiene Ordinance, Germany, Annex 1, point 10 · in German, checked 23 September 2026
10DE — applies in GermanyCity of Munich, food control: information sheet on a business’s own checks (as of May 2026), points 1–6 · in German, checked 23 September 2026
11Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls, Art. 14(a)–(d) · checked 23 September 2026

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