Inspection procedures

If you establish procedures for inspecting products, you can reduce hazards before they enter your establishment.

Here are some general guidelines that can help you improve the way you receive deliveries.

Train employees to inspect deliveries properly. Ideally, you should assign the responsibility for inspecting and receiving deliveries to specific employees. These employees should be trained to judge product quality, check products for proper temperatures, indentify code dates, indentify food that has been thawed and refrozen, spot damage or insect infestation, and so on. They also should be authorized to accept, reject, and sign for deliveries.

Plan ahead for shipments. Have clean hand trucks, carts, dollies, and containers available in receiving area. Make sure enough space is available in walk-ins and storerooms prior to receiving the shipment. Some operations use a refrigerator and freezer in the receiving area for temporary storage. If products need to be washed or broken down and rewrapped, make work space available as close to the receiving area as possible. This will prevent dirt and pests from being brought into storage areas or the kitchen.

Schedule deliveries during off-peak hours. Arrange it so products are delivered during times when employees have adequate time to inspect them. If food is not safe or does not meet your standards, you may have to take an item off the menu, substitute another menu item, or try to arrange delivery from another supplier.

If possible, receive only one delivery at a time. Inspect and store each delivery before accepting another one to avoid potential confusion and product abuse in the receiving area.

Have the right information available. Receivers should have a purchase order or order sheet ready to check against a supplier’s invoice. The sheet should list quantities quality specifications, and agreed-upon prices. The sheet should also have room to record the date and time of delivery, product temperatures, and other notes.

Inspect deliveries immediately. Do a thorough visual inspection to count quantities, check for damaged products, and look for items that might have been repacked or mishandled. Spot-check weights and take sample temperatures of all refrigerated and frozen food. There is always a possibility that food – even government inspected products – may have been mishandled during shipment.

Correct mistakes immediately. If any products are damaged, not at the correct temperature, or have not been delivered to specifications, do not accept them.

Label all items before storage with the delivery date or the use-by date to ensure proper stock rotation. Put products away as quickly as possible, especially products requiring refrigeration.

Keep the receiving area clean and well lighted to discourage pests.

Monitoring time and temperature

Time and temperature play critical roles in the process of maintaining a safe food supply. They affect food quality and safety from a moment food arrives at the back door to the time a prepared meal is presented to the customer.

If a potentially hazardous food is kept in the temperature danger zone longer than four hours, it must be discarded. This four-hour time period begins when the food is taken off the delivery truck and continues through storage, preparation, and cooking. It begins again after cooking. The longer food sits on a receiving dock before being refrigerated or put in the freezer, the less time is left for preparation and cooking.

To manage both time and temperature, you need to monitor and control them. The thermometer may be the single most important tool you have to protect your food.

Choosing the Right Thermometer

There are many types of thermometers used in an establishment. Each is designed for a specific purpose. Some are used to measure the temperature of refrigerated or frozen storage areas. Others measure the temperature of equipment, such as ovens, hot-holding cabinets, and warewashing machines. Perhaps the most important types are thermometers that measure the temperature of food. The most common types used in establishments are the bimetallic stemmed thermometer, the thermocouple, and the thermistor. Infrared thermometers are also becoming increasingly popular.

Bimetallic Stemmed Thermometers

The most common and versatile type of thermometer used in the restaurant and foodservice industry is the bimetallic stemmed thermometer. This type of thermometer measures temperature through a metal probe with the sensor in the end. Bimetallic stemmed thermometers often has scales measuring temperatures from 0F to 220 F (-18C to 104C). This makes them useful for measuring the temperatures of everything from incoming shipments of frozen food to hot-holding cabinets to sanitizing solution in warewashing equipment. When you select this type of thermometer, it should have:

An adjustable calibration nut to keep it accurate

Easy-to-read, numbered temperature markings

A dimple to mark the end of the sensing area (which begins at the tip)

Accuracy to within 2F (1C)

Thermocouples and Thermistors

Thermocouples and thermistors measure temperatures through a metal probe or sensing area and display results on a digital readout. They come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, from small pocket models to panel mounted displays. Many come with interchangeable temperature probes designed to measure the temperature of equipment and food.

Basic types of probe include immersion, surface, penetration, and air probes. Immersion probes are designed to measure temperatures of liquids, such as soups, sauces, or frying oil. Surface probes measure temperatures of flat cooking equipment like griddles. Penetration probes are used to measure the internal temperature of food, such as meat and fish patties, small-diameter probes should be used. Air probes measure temperatures inside refrigerators or ovens.