HACCP records review
- Who checks
- General manager, head chef, food safety lead or HACCP coordinator
- When
- Weekly and before external inspections; spot checks during kitchen walk-throughs
- Time
- ~25 min · 25 items
| Location | Date and time | Inspector | Signature |
HACCP logs are the only proof that control in the kitchen actually happens. The problem is that they are easy to fill in nicely: one pen, neat numbers, not a single deviation all month. A log like that protects neither guests nor the business — an inspector quickly sees that entries were made after the fact. This checklist helps a manager check not whether logs exist, but whether real control stands behind them.
Take the last week's logs and go through the sections in order: availability, timeliness, record quality, deviations, verification. Check 2–3 entries against reality — for example, the temperature in the log against the fridge thermometer right now — and ask the shift staff a couple of questions. The set of logs depends on your HACCP plan and local requirements: delete items you don't need and add missing ones in your copy of the template.
Availability and order of logs
-
1
All logs required by the HACCP plan are at the workstations Logs are kept where readings are taken (by the fridges, at receiving, at the pass), not in the manager's office.☐ Yes☐ No
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2
Log forms are current and no pages are torn out The approved form is used; pages are numbered or bound with no gaps in numbering.☐ Yes☐ No
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3
Entries are made in pen and logs are clean and legible No pencil entries, grease stains or soaked pages; values can be read unambiguously.☐ Yes☐ No
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4
Each log has an assigned owner Owners are named in the HACCP plan or an internal order, and shift staff know who keeps which log.☐ Yes☐ No
Completeness and timeliness of records
-
5
Refrigeration temperatures are recorded every shift without gaps Every fridge and freezer has time-stamped entries for every day of the period reviewed.☐ Yes☐ No
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6
Every delivery in the period is recorded in the receiving log Check 2–3 invoices against the log: date, supplier, temperature at receipt and acceptance decision match.☐ Yes☐ No
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7
Fitness for work is recorded for every employee on shift Compare the health log with the rota for 2–3 days: nobody worked without a record.☐ Yes☐ No
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8
Critical control point readings are taken on schedule Cooking, cooling and hot/cold holding temperatures are recorded as often as the plan requires.☐ Yes☐ No
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9
The cleaning and disinfection log is filled in Daily and deep cleaning entries follow the schedule, with products and staff named.☐ Yes☐ No
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10
Entries for the current shift are already made at the time of the review The morning temperature reading is already logged, not "to be done tonight". Compare the log value with the fridge thermometer now.☐ Yes☐ No
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11
Number of missing entries in the period reviewed Count blank lines and days without entries across all logs.
Signs of pencil-whipping
-
12
Values in the logs look real, not identical If every reading is exactly "+4" for a week, the entries were probably copied. Real readings fluctuate.☐ Yes☐ No
-
13
Entries for different days are not made by one hand with one pen Handwriting and ink change from shift to shift; a block of entries made "in one go" needs looking into.☐ Yes☐ No
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14
Corrections are made properly The wrong entry is crossed out with a single line, the correct value, date and signature next to it. No correction fluid or erasures.☐ Yes☐ No
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15
Every entry is signed by the person who made it Signature or initials of the employee who took the reading, not only of the log owner.☐ Yes☐ No
Deviations and corrective actions
-
16
Every breach of a critical limit has a recorded corrective action Find out-of-range values in the logs: next to them it says what was done with the product and the equipment.☐ Yes☐ No
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17
Corrective actions match the deviation The product was assessed and discarded or reprocessed per the rules; the cause was fixed (technician called, setting changed), not just "re-measured".☐ Yes☐ No
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18
A critical deviation was reported to the responsible person in the same shift The entry says who was told and when; the decision on the product was made by the responsible person, not by the employee alone.☐ Yes☐ No
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19
Recurring deviations have been investigated If one fridge goes out of range several times, there is a repair request or a decision about it.☐ Yes☐ No
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20
Write-offs due to deviations are documented Quantity and reason in the write-off record match the log entry.☐ Yes☐ No
Verification and staff
-
21
Thermometers are checked on schedule and the check is recorded There is a record of probe thermometers checked in ice water or instruments calibrated; faulty ones are taken out of use.☐ Yes☐ No
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22
The HACCP coordinator reviews the logs regularly The logs carry review marks with the coordinator's date and signature.☐ Yes☐ No
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23
Shift staff know how to fill in the log and what to do on a deviation Ask 1–2 employees: where the log is, what the limit is at their station and who to tell when it is exceeded.☐ Yes☐ No
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24
Findings from the previous log review have been fixed Compare with the list of findings from the last review.☐ Yes☐ No
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25
Logs and entries that need correcting List the logs with findings and what to fix, with owners and deadlines.
This template is a starting point. Check the limits and wording against your local regulations, your company standards and the equipment manufacturers' instructions.
jeCheck · https://jecheck.io/en/templates/haccp-records-check
Common violations
- Logs are kept in the office and filled in from memory at the end of the day. A log must be where the reading is taken — otherwise the entry is a report, not control.
- Deviations are not recorded "so as not to spoil the log". A log without a single deviation for a month raises more questions with an inspector than one with honestly handled deviations.
- The corrective action is written as one word: "re-measured". The entry should say what was done with the product and how the cause was fixed.
- The manager only checks for signatures and doesn't compare entries with reality: thermometer, invoices, rota.
Frequently asked questions
A practical rhythm is a full weekly review with this checklist plus spot checks during the daily kitchen walk-through. Before an external inspection, go through the checklist for the whole period that may be requested.
It depends on your HACCP plan and local requirements. Usually: refrigeration temperature, goods receiving, staff health, critical control point monitoring, cleaning and disinfection, and thermometer checks.
Don't rewrite the log "clean". Find out from staff why entries aren't made at the time of reading (inconvenient, no pen, log too far away), fix the cause and step up spot checks for the next few weeks.
Similar templates
Run this inspection on your phone
Move the checklist into jeCheck: photos on every item, tasks for each issue with an owner and a deadline, and location comparison by results.