Hygiene and food safety
Cold Chain Temperature Log
Complete it every day at opening, midday, and closing. Do not read the thermometer while the door is open because an open door does not show the actual temperature. Do not leave an out-of-range reading until the next day. Separate the product and notify the manager during the same check.
Use your business's written temperature standard. This form does not claim to set a legal limit. Write the temperature you accept as the limit at the top of the sheet so that shifts do not use different figures. Inventing a missed reading later causes more problems than an empty box. Write "not measured" in the box.
During a power outage, take the reading after power is restored and write the outage time in the notes. Keeping the door closed during the outage may be more important than taking a reading. Record that as well. Link any product moved to a backup refrigerator to the waste or stock note. Recording only the temperature and not the product makes it impossible to identify later which item was separated.
How to use this form
- Close the appliance door and wait for a while before taking the reading. A reading taken with the door open does not show actual cooling performance and will conflict with the next reading.
- Write the temperature in the relevant box and add your initials. An empty box means no measurement was taken. Do not enter an estimated figure.
- Record an out-of-range reading in the notes, separate the product, and notify the manager. Record the same product on the waste form.
- If the thermometer is faulty, write "could not be measured" on the row and record the appliance on the equipment fault form. An invented reading from a faulty device undermines the record.
- Do not skip the midday reading. When a door has been left open, the change between morning and evening appears in the midday row.
- Keep the sheet for at least one month. If an inspector asks for that day's temperature, this form provides the record.
How this maps to Ritapos
Temperature is tracked on paper. Ritapos records stock quantities, but it does not record refrigerator temperatures. Also record any product exposed to an out-of-range reading on the waste form. Otherwise, the stock count will still treat the product as available and the food cost variance cannot be explained.
The refrigerator entry on the equipment fault form and the "could not be measured" row on this form should show the same date. If they are lost in separate files, an inspection cannot establish when the appliance failed. The stock counting lesson explains how to remove a separated product from the system.
This form is a checklist for training purposes. It does not change your municipal, food registration, or occupational health obligations. Confirm local requirements in writing.
