Food Delivery Check: How to Complete This Food Safety Check

Why food delivery checks matter

Every food item you receive has a history before it reaches you. It has been processed, stored, and transported, often changing hands several times. Each step is an opportunity for something to go wrong.

By checking deliveries on arrival, you verify that food has been handled correctly up to the point of handover. You can identify problems, such as warm chilled food or damaged packaging, before they become food safety incidents in your kitchen.

Accepting a delivery means accepting responsibility. If a customer becomes ill from food that was already contaminated when delivered, you still bear responsibility if you did not check it properly. Delivery checks protect your customers and your business.

Legal requirements

Food safety law requires you to ensure that food you receive is safe and that you can trace it back to your suppliers. While the specific checks are not prescribed by law, you must have systems in place to verify incoming food meets your standards.

Environmental Health Officers expect to see evidence of supplier management and delivery checking. This typically means records of delivery checks and documentation of any rejected deliveries.

What to check

Packaging condition

Inspect the outer packaging and the product packaging for:

Intact seals

• Vacuum packs should be tight with no air pockets
• Modified atmosphere packaging should be inflated (not collapsed)
• Jars and bottles should have intact safety seals

No damage

• No tears, holes, or punctures in packaging
• No dents in cans (especially at seams)
• No crushed or squashed boxes

No contamination

• No dirt, oil, or chemical residue on packaging
• No signs of pest damage (gnaw marks, droppings)
• No foreign objects in or on packaging

Labels intact

• All required information is readable
• Labels have not been tampered with
• No "relabeling" over original labels

Temperature

Check that temperature-controlled food is at the correct temperature on arrival.

How to check temperature:

• Use a probe thermometer for packaged chilled goods (between packs or using a between-pack probe)
• For frozen goods, check the vehicle thermometer reading and inspect for signs of thawing
• For unpackaged items like fresh fish, probe directly

Temperature tolerance:

• Slight variations are acceptable (e.g., 6°C for chilled goods on a hot day)
• Significant deviations (e.g., 12°C for chilled meat) require rejection or immediate discussion with the supplier
• Use your judgment based on how the food will be used

Date codes

Check that use-by and best-before dates give you adequate time to use the product.

Use-by dates (safety)

• These are safety dates on high-risk foods
• Food must not be used after this date
• Check you have enough time to use the product before expiry

Best-before dates (quality)

• These are quality dates, not safety dates
• Food can still be used after this date but may not be at peak quality
• Less critical but still worth checking

Batch codes and traceability

• Record batch numbers for traceability
• These allow you to trace food back to source if problems occur
• Particularly important for high-risk products

Quantity and specification

While not strictly food safety, also verify:

• Correct items delivered (not substitutions)
• Correct quantities
• Products match your order specification

How to complete the check

Step 1: Record the delivery details

Write what was delivered and who supplied it. This creates a record for traceability and helps identify patterns if problems recur with specific suppliers or products.

Example: "Fresh chicken portions - ABC Meats" or "Mixed dairy delivery - Dairy Direct"

Step 2: Check packaging

Inspect the packaging as described above. Record whether packaging is acceptable.

If packaging is damaged or contaminated, take photos if possible and note the specific issue.

Step 3: Check temperature

Use a probe thermometer to check the temperature of chilled and frozen items. Record whether the temperature is acceptable.

If temperature is borderline, note the actual reading. If clearly unacceptable, note this for the rejection record.

Step 4: Check dates

Review use-by and best-before dates on products. Consider how long until you will use the items and whether the dates give adequate time.

Record whether dates are acceptable. If dates are too short for your needs, this may be grounds for rejection or discussion with your supplier.

Step 5: Accept or reject

If all checks pass, accept the delivery and store items promptly.

If any check fails, decide whether to reject the item or the entire delivery, depending on the severity and extent of the problem.

When to reject deliveries

Always reject

• Chilled food above 15°C
• Frozen food that has thawed and refrozen (ice crystals on surface, misshapen packaging)
• Cans with dents at seams or showing signs of bulging
• Vacuum packs with broken seals
• Products past their use-by date
• Signs of pest contamination
• Strong off-odours

Consider rejecting

• Chilled food between 8-15°C (depends on how it will be used)
• Dates shorter than you need
• Minor packaging damage that does not affect the product
• Substitutions you did not agree to

How to reject

1. Inform the driver - Explain why you are rejecting
2. Do not sign for rejected items - Or sign with "rejected" noted
3. Take photos - Document the problem
4. Record the rejection - Note in your delivery records
5. Contact your supplier - Arrange credit or replacement
6. Review the relationship - Repeated problems may require changing suppliers

Supplier management

Approved suppliers

Work only with approved suppliers who:

• Can demonstrate food safety controls
• Provide temperature-controlled transport where required
• Have appropriate food business registrations
• Can provide traceability information on request
• Respond appropriately to complaints and issues

Supplier visits

Consider visiting key suppliers to verify their premises and practices. This is particularly important for high-risk products like fresh meat and fish.

Performance monitoring

Track delivery performance over time:

• Frequency of temperature problems
• Rate of rejected deliveries
• Response to complaints
• Consistency of product quality

Poor performance may indicate a supplier you should no longer use.

Storage after delivery

Delivery checks mean nothing if food is then left sitting at room temperature.

Store promptly

Put deliveries away immediately after checking. If multiple deliveries arrive at once, prioritise:

1. Frozen items first
2. Fresh meat and fish
3. Other chilled items
4. Ambient goods

First in, first out

Rotate stock when putting deliveries away. New stock goes behind existing stock. This ensures older items are used first, reducing waste and preventing items from passing their dates.

Separate raw and ready-to-eat

Store raw meat, poultry, and fish separately from ready-to-eat foods. In the fridge, raw items go below ready-to-eat items to prevent dripping.

Common mistakes to avoid

Checking later

Deliveries should be checked on arrival, not "when you have time." Food left sitting on a loading dock warms up quickly, and by the time you check it, you cannot know what temperature it arrived at.

Only checking some items

Spot checking is better than nothing, but systematic checking is better still. For high-risk items, check every delivery.

Not recording rejections

Rejected deliveries should be documented. Without records, you cannot identify patterns, discuss problems with suppliers effectively, or demonstrate due diligence.

Accepting because you need the stock

If stock is critical and a delivery fails checks, the answer is not to accept unsafe food. Call your supplier for emergency replacement, adjust your menu, or source from another supplier. Never compromise food safety because of stock pressures.

Trusting vehicle thermometers

Vehicle thermometer readings are useful but not conclusive. They show air temperature, not food temperature. Always verify with a probe thermometer, especially if there is any doubt.

Ignoring "minor" problems

Small problems can indicate bigger issues. If packaging is consistently damaged, what does that say about the supplier's handling? If temperatures are frequently at the upper limit, what happens on hotter days or longer routes?

Traceability

Delivery records are part of your traceability system, the ability to trace food from source to customer.

What to record

• Date and time of delivery
• Supplier name
• Products received (including batch codes where available)
• Results of your checks
• Any issues or rejections

Why traceability matters

If there is a food safety incident, authorities may need to trace affected products. Your records allow you to:

• Identify which supplier provided a product
• Find other customers who may have received the same batch
• Demonstrate your due diligence in checking deliveries

Retention

Keep delivery records for at least the shelf life of the products plus a reasonable period (typically 2 years for traceability purposes).

Summary

Food delivery checks are a critical control point that prevents unsafe food from entering your kitchen. By checking packaging, temperature, and dates on every delivery, you ensure that your suppliers are meeting their responsibilities and that you are only accepting food that is safe to serve.

Remember:

• Check every delivery on arrival
• Verify packaging is intact and undamaged
• Check temperatures with a probe thermometer
• Ensure dates give you adequate time to use products
• Reject anything that does not meet your standards
• Store deliveries promptly after checking