food safety receiving
Receiving Inspection of Incoming Food
Accept or refuse food at the door: check temperature, packaging and signs of temperature abuse.
15 steps8 criticalLimit 15 minAlways tested
Steps
- 1Check the delivery vehicle: it should be clean, carry no chemicals with the food, and refrigerated food should arrive on a refrigerated truck
- 2Critical stepCompare the invoice with the order and with the products delivered, and tell the driver about any differences
- 3Critical stepCheck refrigerated TCS food with a clean thermometer: it must be 41 degrees F (5 degrees C) or below when received, unless a law sets another temperature, such as for milk or molluscan shellfish
- 4Critical stepCheck raw shell eggs: they must arrive in refrigerated equipment with an air temperature of 45 degrees F (7 degrees C) or less, and be clean and sound
- 5Critical stepCheck that TCS food cooked and received hot is 135 degrees F (57 degrees C) or above
- 6Critical stepCheck that food labeled and shipped frozen arrives frozen solid, with no signs of thawing and refreezing, such as large ice crystals or liquid in the package
- 7Critical stepCheck that TCS food shows no evidence of previous temperature abuse
- 8Check packaging: no rips, tears, punctures or leaks, and no dented, swollen, rusted or leaking cans or flawed seams
- 9Check that products are labeled with the manufacturer's name and address and are within their use-by date
- 10Check that milk and milk products and egg products are pasteurized
- 11Critical stepCheck that crates and other shipping containers are clean
- 12Reject food that fails any check, such as frozen food with signs of thawing, refrigerated food above 41 degrees F, damaged cans or packages, unlabeled or past-date food, or food delivered in a dirty vehicle or crates
- 13Critical stepRecord the temperatures of sampled items, and note rejected items and the reason, on the invoice or receiving log (Wisconsin DPI SOP)
- 14Move accepted food to storage quickly: refrigerated first, then frozen, then dry; put raw eggs into refrigerated equipment immediately
- 15Report problems with delivery days, times, or changes in delivery personnel to the vendor
What graders are watching for
Tips
- Keep your receiving tools handy: invoice or purchase order, temperature log, calibrated thermometer, pen, flashlight and clean carts
- For packaged refrigerated food, put the thermometer between two packages without puncturing the wrapper; if an infrared reading is above 41 degrees F, take the actual product temperature
- Follow your state and local health department requirements for receiving, which can differ in details such as milk and egg temperatures
Common mistakes
- Accepting food out of temperature because the driver is waiting.
- Judging temperature by feel or by the truck display instead of measuring the food.
- Accepting damaged cans or torn or punctured packages.
- Leaving accepted cold or frozen food on the dock while you finish paperwork.
Practice this skill
Practise the sequence in the app with critical-step highlighting and a rationale for each step.
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Sources and how we check them: How we verify.