How I Use the Delivery Checks Template with Customers in Pilla
Delivery checks are the control that most kitchens treat as a formality. I've walked into hundreds of operations where the delivery checklist exists, the probe thermometer is hanging on the wall, and the driver is already halfway back to the van before anyone's taken a single temperature reading. The food goes straight into the fridge unchecked.
The problem is straightforward. Once you sign for a delivery, you own whatever's in those boxes. If chilled goods arrived at 12 degrees and you put them in your fridge without checking, that's your contamination risk now, not the supplier's. This article covers what your delivery acceptance procedure needs to include, gives you a template you can edit for your own operation, and explains the bits that actually trip people up when an EHO asks to see your records.
Key Takeaways
- What are delivery checks in food safety? Delivery checks are the acceptance procedures you carry out when food arrives at your premises. They cover temperature monitoring, visual inspection, organoleptic checks, packaging integrity, and documentation. They're a critical control point because once you accept a delivery, you own the risk
- Why do you need a delivery checks policy? Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires food business operators to ensure raw materials meet food safety standards at the point of receipt. Your EHO will check that you have a documented acceptance procedure and that staff are trained to carry it out
- How do you set it up in Pilla? Use the knowledge hub template below, edit it to match your operation, and share it with your team through the app so everyone has access and you can track who's read it
- How do you automate the follow-up? Set up Poppi to chase staff who haven't acknowledged the policy and flag when it's due for review
Article Content
Understanding What's Required of You
Delivery acceptance is a critical control point in your food safety management system. It's the moment you decide whether food entering your premises is safe. Get it wrong and you've introduced a hazard that no amount of correct storage or cooking can undo.
There are three categories of risk you're checking for at delivery.
Temperature abuse: chilled goods that have warmed up during transit or frozen goods that have partially defrosted. Bacteria multiply rapidly above 8 degrees for chilled foods. Spoilage organisms start growing in frozen products above minus 15 degrees. If the cold chain is broken before the food reaches your door, it's already compromised.
Contamination: cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods during transport, pest activity or pest damage to packaging, and physical contamination from damaged or dirty packaging. I've seen deliveries arrive with raw chicken leaking onto ready-to-eat products in the same crate. That's an immediate reject.
Specification failures: products outside their use-by dates, substituted items with different allergen profiles, underweight goods, and products that fail organoleptic checks. The fish with sunken eyes and soft flesh might technically be within its use-by date, but it's not fit for purpose.
The legal basis sits in Regulation (EC) 852/2004, which requires food business operators to ensure that raw materials and ingredients meet food safety requirements. In practice, this means you need a documented delivery acceptance procedure, trained staff who know how to carry it out, and records that prove you're doing it. Your EHO will ask to see your delivery records during an inspection. They'll want to see temperature logs, rejection records, and evidence that your staff know the acceptance criteria. A blank checklist pinned to a clipboard doesn't count.
Setting It Up as a Knowledge Hub Entry
I've built a stock rotation template in Pilla that covers delivery acceptance, temperature monitoring, organoleptic checks, documentation requirements, and rejection procedures alongside the broader stock rotation and date labelling rules. It gives you a structured starting point, but you should edit the delivery sections to reflect how your operation actually receives goods.
In the knowledge hub, create a new entry and tag it with "Food Safety Management System". Use the same tag across all of your food safety policies so they are grouped together and Poppi can track them as a set. Assign the entry to all teams so that everyone in the business can access it.
The template is designed to be edited, not just filed. Read through the delivery acceptance section in particular. If you receive deliveries at a loading bay, say so. If you have specific suppliers with known issues, add notes about what to watch for. If your operation doesn't handle certain product types, remove those organoleptic check criteria. The EHO wants to see that your procedure reflects what actually happens, not that you've filed a generic document.
Stock rotation
Stock rotation is critical to the supply of safe food but also important for the supply of food at its best quality.
Effective ordering and stock rotation will ensure that food is always safe to eat and of the best quality as well as avoiding unnecessary wastage. Effective stock rotation can in many cases be managed by using the principle of FIFO i.e. First in, first out. Especially where use by dates are concerned. This can be managed through not holding excessive levels of stock, opening and closing checks and maintaining effective storage temperatures and procedures.
Safety points
- Check all food being delivered to ensure use by dates and best before dates are acceptable, that it has been delivered at the correct temperatures, that the packaging is intact, that there is no possibility of cross contamination from raw to RTE foods or to check if allergenic contamination has occurred. Also checks for pest activity or pest damage to packaging
- Ensure that staff who accept deliveries have been trained to know what would be deemed acceptable or not and that they fully understand delivery records
- Correctly date label all foods that have been opened, decanted, unused, cooked or prepared, for freezing etc.
- Carry out daily inspections of fridges, freezers and dry stores to identify foods that are approaching expiry dates or out of date, ensure stock is rotated to ensure use before expiry dates
- Dispose of out of date foods and record in the wastage log
- Go through the menu regularly and plan stock you will need in advance, experience in this should avoid unnecessary wastage
Stock rotation procedure
- When deliveries are received you must rotate old and new stock to ensure that food safety and quality is maintained
- To do this, remove old stock first, replace the new stock in space of the old stock, then place old stock in front of or on top of newer stock ensuring it will be used first, make sure that fresh containers are used when needed to avoid cross contamination and food spoilage
- Ensure robust control and management of items within the dry storage areas ensuring best before dates are not exceeded
- Ensure items in refrigerated storage are controlled and managed vigilantly ensuring that use by dates are never exceeded, these items must be discarded immediately if safe usage date has passed
- Ensure robust control and management of frozen items so that maximum quality and safety is maintained at all times
Date labelling and storage procedures
General rules to be followed by all staff:
- Do not cover any original labelling on a product with another label
- If a product is taken out of its original packaging, decanted or stored otherwise, consideration must be taken of its original use by date if this product is not thermally processed
- Only approved labels should be used that show, production date, use by dates and allergens contained therein
- Products that have been thermally processed (cooked/boiled etc.), if not to be used immediately, will now require a label showing a new use by date, this date should not exceed 3 days including the day of production. For example, a product produced on Monday must be used by the following Wednesday at the latest, otherwise this must be discarded and this waste recorded
- When prepared food is frozen, indicate the date of freezing, complete the use by date, which must not exceed one month from date of freezing, indicate any allergens contained therein
- When frozen food is defrosted it will have a maximum safe usability of 24 hours after defrosting (the defrosting process itself can take 12-24 hours) food taken out of frozen storage must be used within 2 days maximum. If not used this food must be discarded and this waste recorded
- Store all decanted foods in lidded containers
- Consider specific safe storage conditions for foods containing allergens to prevent cross contamination at all times
- Ensure all frozen items are stored appropriately and/or wrapped completely to prevent freezer burn, which can compromise the quality of the product
Corrective actions and monitoring
- Freeze stock that will not be used before use by date, adjust stock levels accordingly in future
- If you have any reason to suspect that food has not been handled safely or not delivered at a safe temperature, reject the delivery or quarantine and contact supplier to remove
- Review your delivery acceptance procedure including increased supervision and retrain staff if necessary
- Carry out more frequent spot checks
- Review supplier and robustness of their procedures and change supplier if necessary
Delivery acceptance, documentation and recording
- Check all deliveries thoroughly and ensure staff are trained to carry out this procedure correctly
- Use organoleptic monitoring (senses) to ensure that products look/smell/feel fit for consumption
- Ensure record delivery receipt temperatures for both chilled and frozen goods (CCP)
- Check condition of secondary and tertiary packaging ensuring it is intact and doesn't present any risk
- Check products are well within accepted limits of use by and best before dates
- Check for potential risks from cross contamination, both from micro-organisms, raw and RTE (ready to use) and risks from major allergens
- Check vehicle and packaging for evidence of pest activity, pest ingress and activity from SPIs (stored product insects e.g. flour mites, weevils, beetles, moths etc)
- Check general cleanliness of vehicle
- Check that all documentation is filled in correctly
This is a preview of the template. In Pilla, you can edit this to match your business.
What I'd want to see when reviewing this:
The delivery acceptance and recording section is the part that matters most for this policy. I'd want to see that your team knows the temperature critical limits: chilled foods below 8 degrees, frozen foods below minus 15 degrees. Those are hard rejection points, not guidelines. I'd also want to see that the procedure covers organoleptic checks using the senses, not just temperature probing. A product can be at the right temperature and still be unfit. Slimy meat, fish with sunken eyes, vegetables with mould. Your staff need to know what acceptable looks like for each product type.
The documentation requirements matter too. Every delivery needs checking against the order and the delivery note. A responsible person should initial the paperwork as correct. These records are your traceability trail. If there's ever a food safety incident linked to a supplier, you need to show exactly what arrived, when, and who accepted it.
Common mistakes I see:
The most common gap is around substituted products. The template covers this clearly: substitutions must be confirmed in writing, not verbally. I've worked with businesses that accepted a substituted product from a driver who mentioned it in passing, and the replacement contained a different allergen. Your allergen matrix needs updating every time you accept a substitution, and staff need to know that a verbal heads-up from a driver is not enough.
The second mistake is treating the 15-minute transfer rule as optional. Food needs to move from the delivery point to storage within 15 minutes, chilled goods first. I regularly see deliveries left on the floor of the kitchen while staff finish other tasks. Every minute at ambient temperature is a minute the cold chain is breaking.
The third is skipping vehicle checks. The template calls for weekly physical examination of the delivery vehicle, covering cleanliness, temperature display, and general condition. Most businesses skip this entirely. A dirty, badly maintained vehicle tells you something about how that supplier handles your food before it reaches your door.
Automate the Follow-Up with Poppi
Writing the policy is one thing. Making sure your team has actually read it is another. Poppi can handle the chasing so you don't have to.
If you mark the knowledge hub entry as mandatory, Poppi will track who's read it and who hasn't. You can set up automations to chase staff who are behind, notify managers when someone completes the policy, and get a regular report showing where the gaps are.
Here are three automations I'd set up for any knowledge hub policy:
Tom, you have 2 overdue policies to read and acknowledge
Overdue training reminders
Automatically chase team members who have mandatory policies they haven't read yet. Poppi sends the reminder so you don't have to.
Tom, you have 2 overdue policies to read and acknowledge
Emma has completed a mandatory policy
Video completion alerts
Get notified when a team member finishes reading or watching a policy, so you can track progress without chasing.
Emma has completed a mandatory policy
Training Report: 87% team completion. Tom and Sarah behind on 2 mandatory policies, due 3 days ago.
Training gap analysis
Get a regular AI report showing which team members are behind on mandatory policies and where the gaps are across your team.
Training Report: 87% team completion. Tom and Sarah behind on 2 mandatory policies, due 3 days ago.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I accept food from a supplier that's close to its use-by date?
No, you should not accept deliveries that are close to their use-by dates. Ensure use-by dates have a minimum of 5 days remaining and best-before dates have at least 1 month remaining.
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- If frozen food looks partially defrosted, can I still accept the food delivery?
No, you should reject any frozen deliveries that show signs of defrosting or refreezing, as they can seriously affect food quality through freezer burn when the product is refrozen.
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- What should I check on tins when they arrive from a food supplier?
When receiving tins from a food supplier, inspect for these key points: (1) Ensure there is no rust on the tins, as it may indicate compromised metal integrity.
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- What should I do if chilled food arrives above 8°C from a supplier?
If chilled food arrives above 8°C from a supplier, you must immediately reject the delivery and inform the supplier. This temperature exceeds the critical food safety limit of 8°C.
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- How do I know if meat is fresh when it arrives from a supplier?
To determine if meat is fresh upon delivery, look for these signs of freshness: (1) An even red/brown colour on all meat surfaces. (2) Moistness to the touch but not slimy.
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- What temperature should frozen deliveries be when they arrive?
Frozen deliveries should arrive at a temperature of -18°C or colder, up to a maximum of -15°C.
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- Do I need to keep delivery paperwork from food suppliers?
Yes, retaining all delivery notes and invoices from your food suppliers is essential.
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- How do I know if fish is fresh when it arrives from a supplier?
To determine the freshness of fish upon delivery, look for several key indicators: Bright, not sunken eyes; firm flesh with a fine layer of sea slime; red-coloured gills; scales that are difficult to remove and appear fresh, not dry; and a neutral to slightly oceanic smell without strong fishy odours. Additionally, fish can be considered fresh if it is flash-frozen immediately after catch and properly thawed, as quick freezing preserves its quality.
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- How do I know if poultry is fresh when it arrives from a supplier?
To ascertain the freshness of poultry upon delivery, check for the following attributes: The skin should be creamy in colour and free from blemishes or bruises.
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- How do I know if vegetables are fresh when it arrives from a supplier?
To assess the freshness of vegetables delivered from a supplier, check for firmness, absence of mold, a fresh smell, and an absence of blemishes, bruising, or discolouration.
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- What's the minimum use-by date we should accept on a food delivery?
For food deliveries, ensure that products have at least 5 days of usage remaining on their use-by dates.
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- What if I find pest damage in a food delivery?
If you find pest damage in a food delivery, immediately reject the affected items.
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- How quickly do I need to put food deliveries away?
Food deliveries should be transferred from the delivery point to storage areas within 15 minutes, including the time needed for unboxing.
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- What if the food supplier sends different products than what we ordered?
When a supplier substitutes products, it is important that the changes are clearly documented in writing. Verbal notifications are not acceptable.
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- Do I need to take temperatures between packages in food deliveries or can I pierce them?
You must always take temperatures between packs of food using a clean and sanitised probe. Never pierce the packaging to take a temperature as this can compromise food safety and product integrity.
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