What Should a Food Delivery Temperature Log Record?

A food delivery temperature log should show what arrived, who supplied it, the actual temperature or other check completed, the acceptance limit used, who made the decision, and what happened when the delivery did not meet the site's rules. Its purpose is to stop unsuitable food entering stock and to leave enough evidence to investigate recurring supplier or transport problems.

TapTick can help teams schedule delivery checks, record readings and corrective actions, and give managers visibility of missed or failed checks. See the TapTick features.

What the delivery log should record

A useful record lets another person reconstruct the decision. “Delivery OK” does not identify the food checked, the limit used or whether staff noticed a problem. For each delivery, capture:

• date and actual arrival time — important when a late delivery sits before being checked or stored;
• supplier and reference — the delivery note, purchase order or consignment reference;
• food checked — name the product or representative item rather than writing only “chilled”;
• batch, lot or date code — where needed for traceability, shelf-life control or a later recall;
• delivery type — chilled, frozen, hot or ambient, so the relevant site rule is clear;
• actual result — the measured temperature in °C and, where useful, the vehicle or unit display;
• check method — for example, between-pack measurement, probe of an agreed sample or infrared screening followed by confirmation;
• acceptance limit — the limit in the site's approved procedure or product specification;
• condition checks — packaging, seals, contamination, pests, cleanliness and date coding;
• decision — accepted, rejected, or placed on hold pending an authorised decision;
• corrective action — what was isolated, returned or discarded, who was contacted and any supplier reference; and
• person checking and verification — the staff member's name or initials and manager follow-up where the procedure requires it.

The log should reflect the delivery risks in the business. A small sealed ambient order does not need the same fields as chilled ready-to-eat food, raw meat, frozen products or hot meals delivered for immediate service.

Which temperature limit should you use?

There is no single delivery temperature that can be applied to every food business across Ireland and the UK. The correct acceptance limit can come from food law, product-specific rules, the supplier specification and the business's own HACCP-based procedure. The internal target may be more cautious than a legal maximum so staff have time to act before food becomes unsafe or non-compliant.

In Ireland, FSAI guidance for caterers says refrigerated food should generally be kept at 0–5°C and freezers should operate at -18°C or colder. FSAI's takeaway guidance tells operators to check that chilled and frozen food arrives at the correct temperature and to reject deliveries that are too warm or show signs of spoilage. Guidance for transported food also uses 5°C or below for chilled food and 63°C or above for hot ready-to-eat food.

UK rules and official guidance are not identical in every nation or for every product. A business may use a lower operational target than the applicable legal ceiling. Food Standards Scotland's CookSafe system therefore asks the business to write its own critical limits into the delivery record and link them to its Temperature Control House Rules. That is a better model than giving staff a number without identifying where it came from.

Write the approved limits into the delivery procedure and make them visible at the receiving point. If different products have different limits, group them clearly or make the relevant limit appear with the check. Do not expect a busy team member to remember exceptions from a policy stored elsewhere.

How to check a delivery without misleading readings

A temperature is only useful when the method is understood. The air temperature on a vehicle display, the surface of a carton and the food inside a pack can differ. Use the method in the site's procedure and follow the thermometer manufacturer's instructions.

A practical receiving method may include:

1. Inspect first. Look for damaged or swollen packs, broken seals, thawing, ice build-up, leakage, contamination, pest evidence and products beyond their use-by date.
2. Check the delivery promptly. Do not leave chilled or frozen food at the door while paperwork is completed.
3. Select a representative item. Choose a higher-risk product or a pack from a part of the load most likely to show temperature loss, following the sampling plan.
4. Use the approved method. An infrared reading can screen a surface quickly but may need confirmation. A clean, disinfected probe placed between packs can reduce damage; probing food directly should use an agreed sample and hygienic method.
5. Record the actual result. Never turn a number into a tick or copy the vehicle display as though it were the food temperature.
6. Move accepted food into storage. Recording a satisfactory arrival temperature does not protect food left waiting in a warm receiving area.

If staff cannot obtain a reliable result without damaging a retail pack, the procedure should specify an alternative: an agreed sacrificial sample, between-pack measurement, supplier evidence, or another validated method. Do not pierce packaging casually and then place the compromised product into saleable stock.

Does every item need a temperature check?

Official record templates do not require every pack in every delivery to be probed. Food Standards Scotland's CookSafe delivery record tells businesses to decide how many items to probe or check per delivery. The important point is to define a monitoring frequency and sampling method that reflect the nature and size of the business, then follow them consistently.

The sampling rule should be risk-based and written down. Consider:

• the safety risk and intended use of the food;
• whether it is chilled, frozen, hot or ambient;
• load size, mixed-temperature compartments and delivery duration;
• supplier history and previous failures;
• season, weather and delays;
• condition of packaging and signs of thawing or temperature abuse; and
• whether the check can be completed without contaminating or damaging food.

Increase checking when evidence shows higher risk — for example, after repeated warm deliveries, a vehicle breakdown or a change of supplier. A spotless history may support routine representative checks, but it does not justify abandoning monitoring altogether.

What to record when a delivery fails

The failed result must remain visible. Do not replace it with a second, satisfactory reading or record only “supplier informed”. Capture the evidence and the food decision.

Compare these entries:

• Weak: “Milk warm — driver told.”
• Useful: “07:42 — supplier ABC, delivery note 4831 — two crates fresh milk. Representative pack measured 9.2°C between packs; repeat check 9.0°C. Site acceptance limit 5°C. Both crates isolated and rejected before stock entry. Driver signed rejection on delivery note; supplier reference NC-184. Other chilled lines checked and accepted. Shift manager notified.”

The appropriate action depends on the food, known time and temperature history, specification and approved procedure. It may be to reject the affected line, reject the entire temperature-controlled part of the load, or place it in a clearly identified hold area while an authorised person decides. “Accept now and ask later” should not become an informal workaround.

Never put questionable food into normal stock while waiting for the supplier to reply. If a delivery is held, record the physical location, quantity, status label, decision owner and deadline. Then record the final release, return or disposal so the exception is fully closed.

Checks beyond temperature

A correct temperature does not make a delivery acceptable on its own. The receiving check should also cover the controls relevant to the product, including:

• correct product and quantity against the order;
• use-by or best-before date and usable shelf life;
• batch or lot information needed for traceability;
• intact packaging, seals and tamper evidence;
• absence of leakage, dirt, pests, mould, thawing or physical damage;
• separation of raw and ready-to-eat food;
• vehicle and container cleanliness; and
• correct label and allergen information, especially after a substitution.

Food Standards Scotland's CookSafe delivery record explicitly includes condition, date coding and an allergen-awareness check alongside temperature. That matters because the most serious problem in a delivery may be an undeclared substitution or damaged pack rather than a warm reading.

How multi-site operators should review delivery records

Standardise the essential fields and decision language across sites, while allowing product limits and sampling plans to match each operation. Head office should be able to distinguish a genuine “not applicable” from a missed check.

Useful review questions include:

• Which suppliers, routes or delivery times generate repeated failures?
• Do sites record actual readings, or only ticks and “OK”?
• Are all readings identical, suggesting copied values rather than measurements?
• Are failed deliveries isolated before being entered into stock?
• Are supplier complaints and credits linked to the original exception?
• Do staff accept deliveries outside the approved limit without an authorised decision?
• Are substitutions checked for changed ingredients and allergens?
• Does corrective action reduce repeat failures, or merely document them?

A completion percentage alone will not answer these questions. Review the results, exceptions, response time and closure evidence.

Ireland and UK: law, guidance and site rules

Food businesses must maintain HACCP-based food safety procedures appropriate to their activities, including controls at purchase, receipt and delivery where hazards can arise. Official packs such as FSAI Safe Catering, the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business and Food Standards Scotland's CookSafe help businesses implement those duties. Their record templates are guidance tools; they do not create one mandatory delivery-log layout for every business.

The food business remains responsible for deciding and documenting the monitoring method, frequency, acceptance limits, sampling approach and corrective actions that apply. Product-specific temperature rules may also apply. A business operating across Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should not assume a single legal explanation covers every site.

Keep the delivery record for the period set in the food safety system and make it available for verification. Where the applicable temperature rule or product specification is uncertain, confirm it with the supplier and the site's environmental health or enforcement officer before writing the acceptance rule.