How to Record a Delivery Checks Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Delivery checks are one of the most critical control points in your food safety system. If unsafe food is delivered and accepted, it can potentially compromise everything that takes place after that point—no amount of correct storage, preparation, or cooking can undo food that arrived already compromised. The delivery stage is your first line of defence, and your team needs to understand that checking deliveries properly is not an administrative task—it's a food safety control.

Food can become unsafe during transportation through temperature abuse—chilled goods warming up, frozen goods partially defrosting—or through contamination and cross-contamination during transit. Your delivery checks must verify that the cold chain hasn't been broken and that the food meets your quality and safety specifications.

Where to film this video:

Film at your delivery point—the loading bay, back door, or wherever deliveries are received. If possible, coordinate with a regular supplier to film during an actual delivery so your team can see real-world application. Have your delivery checklist, probe thermometer, weighing scales, and any other checking equipment ready.

What to have ready:

• Your delivery checklist form
• A clean, sanitised probe thermometer
• Weighing scales with cling film for covering
• Antibacterial probe wipes for disinfection
• Examples of delivery notes and order sheets
• Access to storage areas (fridge, freezer, dry store)
• Your list of approved suppliers

Start your video by explaining:

"This video covers delivery checks—one of the most important control points in our food safety system. If we accept unsafe food at delivery, everything we do afterwards can be compromised. I'm going to show you exactly how to check a delivery properly, what temperatures to look for, how to inspect products visually, when to reject items, and how to get food into storage within the required time limits. This isn't paperwork for the sake of it—these checks protect our customers from food that's been temperature-abused or contaminated during transit."

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Delivery checks training combines hands-on demonstration with specific acceptance criteria and procedures. Split your content strategically.

Best for video (on camera):

• Demonstrating how to take temperatures correctly using a probe
• Showing visual inspection techniques for different product types
• Walking through organoleptic checks (using the senses) for meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables
• Demonstrating the weight verification process
• Showing the urgency of the 15-minute transfer rule for chilled goods
• Explaining what to do when a delivery fails specification

Best for supporting written text:

• Exact temperature parameters for acceptance and rejection
• Complete visual and organoleptic check criteria for each food type
• The full delivery acceptance checklist
• Use by and best before date requirements
• Corrective action procedures
• Record-keeping requirements

Example written reference to include:

Temperature Acceptance Parameters:

CHILLED FOODS:
→ Target: Below 5°C (but not below 1°C)
→ Maximum acceptance: 8°C (critical limit)
→ Above 8°C = REJECT

FROZEN FOODS:
→ Target: -18°C or colder
→ Maximum acceptance: -15°C (critical limit)
→ Above -15°C = REJECT
→ Evidence of defrosting/refreezing = REJECT

Transfer Time Limits:
→ Target: 15 minutes from delivery to storage
→ Maximum: 30 minutes in exceptional circumstances
→ Priority order: Chilled → Frozen → Ambient

Date Requirements:
→ Use by dates: Minimum 5 days remaining
→ Best before dates: Minimum 1 month remaining

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Cover the essential knowledge your team needs about the entire delivery process, from vehicle inspection to storage.

Rule 1: No unattended deliveries

Begin with a critical policy point: "No food should be delivered in the absence of a responsible person and left on a loading bay unattended. If a driver leaves food without a proper check-in, report this immediately to management. That supplier's contract will be reviewed. Unattended deliveries mean we have no verification of temperature, condition, or time—the food could have been sitting in the sun for an hour and we'd never know."

Rule 2: Separation of raw and ready-to-eat

Explain the cross-contamination risk: "Ensure that raw and ready-to-eat foods are not mixed or in physical contact during delivery. Ideally, raw meat, raw poultry, raw fish, and raw vegetables should be delivered at different times to ready-to-eat foods. The same separation applies to frozen goods—raw frozen and ready-to-eat frozen should not be mixed. If they're on the same delivery, check they've been properly separated in the vehicle."

Rule 3: Temperature monitoring

Explain the correct technique: "The delivery temperature of chilled and frozen foods must be taken using a clean, sanitised probe. You're taking the temperature between packs of food—do not pierce the packaging. Use a dense product like butter or ice cream for the most accurate reading, let the probe settle, and record the temperature when the reading remains static for ten seconds.

Chilled foods should ideally be below 5°C but not below 1°C. You can accept delivery up to a maximum of 8°C—that's the critical limit. Above 8°C, reject the delivery.

Frozen foods should be at -18°C or slightly colder. You can accept delivery at a maximum of -15°C—that's the critical limit. Above -15°C, reject the delivery. At temperatures above -15°C, spoilage organisms start growing which affects the product's integrity."

Rule 4: Vehicle inspection

Explain what to look for: "At least once per week, carry out a physical examination of the delivery vehicle—check the storage area, equipment, cleanliness of the vehicle and driver, and verify the vehicle temperature display. This isn't about being difficult with drivers—it's about verifying that our suppliers are maintaining proper standards throughout the supply chain."

Rule 5: Visual inspection

Cover what to check: "All deliveries should be visually inspected for signs of pest activity or ingress. Check the integrity of all packaging—it should be intact, not split, dry, and free from dirt. Check vacuum packaging is intact and not blown. Check tinned products are free from rust, not blown, not leaking, not damaged, and that labels are intact. Check use by and best before dates are within our guidelines."

Rule 6: The 15-minute rule

Explain the cold chain requirement: "Food must be transferred from the delivery point to storage areas within 15 minutes, including unboxing. The absolute maximum is 30 minutes in exceptional circumstances. Chilled foods must receive priority for storage, followed by frozen goods, and finally ambient or dry goods.

This is critical—the cold chain must not be compromised. We need to maintain a constant temperature below 5°C for chilled goods. Chilled goods are the most vulnerable to temperature rise and must be dealt with as a priority."

Rule 7: Unpacking and unboxing

Explain the contamination control: "Unboxing must take place in a separate designated area to avoid contamination. Delivery boxes have been in delivery vehicles, on loading bays, handled by multiple people—they don't go into food storage areas. Unpack, check, and transfer the food; the packaging stays at the delivery point for disposal."

Rule 8: Check against orders and delivery notes

Explain the verification process: "All deliveries must be checked against the delivery note and the original order. A responsible person should initial the delivery note as correct and acceptable. All paperwork must be filed and stored securely—they provide a cross-reference resource for stock levels and are essential for traceability should problems occur.

Critically, if products have been substituted, this must be clearly indicated by the supplier in writing—a verbal notification is not acceptable. Substituted products may contain different allergens, so changes to product specifications must be agreed and communicated in writing. Your allergen matrix may need updating if you accept a substituted product."

Rule 9: Organoleptic checks

Explain using the senses to verify freshness: "Beyond temperature and packaging checks, use your senses to confirm freshness—what we call organoleptic checks.

For meat: Look for even red or brown colour on all surfaces. The outside should be moist, not dry or slimy. There should be no strong smell. Fat should be creamy white and not excessive, with clear marbling on the surface of red meat.

For poultry: The outside of the meat should be moist, not dry or slimy. No strong smell. Skin should be creamy in colour with no blemishes or bruising. Flesh should be firm to the touch. Whole birds must be free of innards and internal organs.

For fish: Eyes should be bright and not sunken. Flesh should be firm and covered in a fine layer of sea slime. Gills should be red in colour. Scales should be difficult to remove, fresh in appearance, not dry. No strong fishy smell.

For vegetables: They should be firm to the touch, not spongy or limp. No signs of mould. Fresh smell. No blemishes, bruising, or discoloration. No dirt, stones, or insect activity around or in the product."

Rule 10: Weight verification

Explain the process: "The weight of three separate products must be checked on each delivery. The weight must exclude the weight of the packaging—if items are vacuum-packed, don't remove the packaging, instead subtract 8g for small vacuum packs and 15g for large vacuum packs from the final weight.

Before weighing, cover scales loosely with cling film and disinfect them with an antibacterial probe wipe before and after use. Check the supplier weight on the packaging or delivery note against your scales. All weights must be metric. All underweight products must be reported."

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

Show your team exactly how to check a delivery from start to finish.

Setting up for the delivery:

Walk through preparation: "Before the delivery arrives, I make sure I have everything ready: my delivery checklist, clean sanitised probe thermometer, scales with cling film, antibacterial wipes, and access to storage areas. The delivery area is kept clean and the delivery doors are closed when not in use—this prevents pest ingress. When the driver arrives, I let them make the delivery but I observe carefully and fill in my checklist as they unload."

Demonstrating temperature checks:

Show the technique: "I'm going to take the temperature of this chilled delivery. First, I sanitise my probe with an antibacterial wipe. I'm looking for a dense product—here's some butter. I place the probe between packs, not piercing any packaging. I let it settle... the reading has been static for ten seconds at [X]°C. That's within our acceptance range of below 8°C, so this passes.

Now for the frozen delivery. Same process—sanitise the probe, find a dense product like ice cream, place between packs. The reading is [X]°C. Our limit for frozen is -15°C maximum, and this is colder than that, so it passes. If this had been above -15°C, I would reject the entire frozen delivery."

Demonstrating visual and organoleptic checks:

Show the inspection process: "Let me check this fresh fish delivery. First, visual inspection—packaging is intact, no damage, no signs of pest activity. Now I'm looking at the fish itself. Eyes are bright and not sunken—good sign. Let me feel the flesh—firm, not soft. There's a fine layer of natural sea slime—that's what we want to see. The gills are red in colour. No strong fishy smell—fresh fish smells like the sea, not like 'fish.' This passes.

Now let me check this meat delivery. Even colour across all surfaces—no grey patches. The outside is moist but not slimy. No strong smell. The fat is creamy white with good marbling. This passes our organoleptic checks."

Demonstrating weight verification:

Show the weighing process: "I need to verify weights on three products. First, I cover the scales loosely with cling film and wipe them down with antibacterial wipe. This product is vacuum-packed and the label says 500g. It's a large vac-pack, so I subtract 15g from my reading for the packaging. The scales show [X]g, minus 15g is [calculated weight]. That matches the stated weight—acceptable.

If this had been significantly underweight, I would note it on my delivery checklist and report it. Underweight products mean we're paying for product we're not receiving."

Demonstrating the check-off process:

Show the verification: "As I check each item, I'm verifying it against my original order and the delivery note. The quantities match, the specifications are correct, and I haven't received any substituted products without written notification. If there had been a substitution, I would need to check the allergen information before accepting and potentially update our allergen matrix.

Now I get the driver to sign the form acknowledging the delivery—don't let the driver leave before you've completed the checklist and they've signed it. If there are discrepancies, I report these to the head chef who will take it up with the supplier."

Demonstrating the transfer to storage:

Show the urgency: "Now the clock is ticking. I have 15 minutes to get this into storage. Chilled goods go first—these are the most vulnerable to temperature rise. I'm transferring directly to the fridge, not putting them on a counter to deal with later. Frozen goods next, then finally ambient goods.

The unboxing happens here in the delivery area—boxes don't go into the storage areas. I'm placing food directly into lidded containers or on appropriate shelving. Notice I'm using the correct storage positions—ready-to-eat above raw, and raw meat on the lowest shelves.

After handling deliveries, I wash my hands before doing anything else."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Cover the delivery check errors that create food safety risks.

Mistake 1: Accepting unattended deliveries

"If a delivery is left without a proper check-in—on the loading bay, by the back door, wherever—you have no idea what temperature it's been at or how long it's been there. This food cannot be verified as safe. Report unattended deliveries immediately. The supplier needs to understand this is unacceptable."

Mistake 2: Accepting temperatures above critical limits

"If chilled goods arrive above 8°C or frozen goods arrive above -15°C, they must be rejected—no exceptions. 'It's only a bit over' doesn't matter. These critical limits exist because above these temperatures, bacterial growth or quality degradation has started. Reject and contact the supplier."

Mistake 3: Breaking the cold chain with slow transfers

"Taking your time with deliveries puts chilled food at risk. The 15-minute transfer target exists because every minute food spends at ambient temperature allows it to warm up. Chilled goods first, moved quickly, into refrigerated storage immediately. Don't leave chilled deliveries sitting while you deal with other tasks."

Mistake 4: Skipping the vehicle inspection

"The weekly vehicle inspection isn't optional. A dirty, badly maintained delivery vehicle tells you something about how seriously that supplier takes food safety throughout their operation. If the vehicle is unacceptable, the food may be unacceptable too. Check the vehicle, document what you find."

Mistake 5: Failing to check substituted products for allergens

"When a product has been substituted, it may contain different allergens than the original. If the driver says 'we didn't have X so we sent Y instead,' you must verify the allergen information before accepting. Verbal notification isn't enough—you need to see the packaging, check the ingredients, and update your allergen matrix if necessary. A customer with an allergy doesn't care that it was a last-minute substitution."

Mistake 6: Not rejecting poor quality products

"If a product looks wrong, smells wrong, or doesn't meet specification, reject it. Fish with sunken eyes, slimy meat, vegetables with mould, damaged or blown packaging—don't accept it hoping it'll be fine. Your organoleptic checks exist to catch problems your thermometer can't detect. Trust your senses and reject substandard deliveries."

Mistake 7: Taking temperatures incorrectly

"Piercing packaging to take a temperature creates a contamination risk and damages the product. Take temperatures between packs using a dense product. Let the probe settle for ten seconds before recording. Sanitise your probe before and after. Rushing this check or doing it incorrectly means you can't trust your temperature readings."

Mistake 8: Not keeping delivery records

"All delivery notes, invoices, and orders must be filed for traceability. If there's ever a food safety incident, you need to be able to trace exactly which supplier delivered which product on which date. Without proper records, traceability breaks down and you can't demonstrate due diligence."

Step 6: Key takeaways

Finish your video by reinforcing the critical rules.

"Let me recap the delivery check rules you need to remember:

Why it matters: Delivery is your first control point. If unsafe food is accepted, everything after that point can be compromised. No amount of correct handling fixes food that arrived already unsafe.

No unattended deliveries: Food must be received by a responsible person. Unattended deliveries cannot be verified as safe and must be reported immediately.

Separation: Raw and ready-to-eat foods must not be mixed during delivery. Ideally, they should arrive at different times.

Temperature critical limits: Chilled goods must be below 8°C—above this, reject. Frozen goods must be below -15°C—above this, reject. No exceptions for 'slightly over.'

The 15-minute rule: Food must be transferred from delivery to storage within 15 minutes. Chilled goods first, they're the most vulnerable. The cold chain must not be compromised.

Correct probing technique: Clean, sanitised probe between packs, dense product like butter or ice cream, wait for the reading to stabilise for ten seconds. Don't pierce packaging.

Visual and organoleptic checks: Use your eyes and senses. Inspect packaging integrity, check for pest activity, verify freshness through appearance, texture, and smell. If something's wrong, reject it.

Check against orders: Verify deliveries against your order and the delivery note. Watch for substituted products—they may contain different allergens. Get written confirmation of any changes.

Weight verification: Check three products per delivery. Subtract packaging weight for vacuum packs. Report underweights.

Vehicle inspection: Weekly checks of delivery vehicles for cleanliness, temperature, and general standards.

Record keeping: File all delivery notes, invoices, and orders. Complete your delivery checklist. These records are essential for traceability.

Rejection rules: Reject anything that's above temperature limits, beyond use by dates, damaged, poor quality, showing pest activity, or not meeting specification. When in doubt, reject.

Your delivery checks are the gatekeeper for your entire food safety system. Do them properly, every time, with every delivery. Everything that happens in your kitchen after that point depends on starting with safe, properly checked food."