Food delivery checks help ensure that incoming products are safe, suitable, traceable and stored at the correct temperature. Before accepting a delivery, check the supplier, vehicle, packaging, labels, dates, temperature and batch information. Reject or isolate anything that does not meet your documented acceptance standards.
Food safety begins when ingredients arrive at the premises. Damaged packaging, incorrect temperatures, expired products or missing traceability information can introduce risks before food preparation even starts.
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires food businesses to maintain suitable hygiene controls. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 also requires businesses to identify where food has come from and, where applicable, where it has been supplied.
A delivery should therefore be checked before products are moved into storage or production.
Key takeaway: Delivery checks stop unsuitable food from entering the business and provide evidence that incoming products have been properly controlled.
Effective checks help businesses:
Identify damaged or contaminated food
Maintain the cold chain
Confirm that products match the order
Verify labels, dates and allergens
Maintain supplier and batch traceability
Record rejected or quarantined products
Signing a delivery note is not enough. The receiving record should show what was checked, the result and any action taken.
Food Hygiene and Safety for Supervisors course covering food safety and hygiene, supervisor responsibilities, APPCC/HACCP, allergens, contamination control, inspection evidence, and a food hygiene certificate level 3..
Key takeaway: Every delivery should be checked using the same clear and documented process.
Check that the delivery is from an expected or approved supplier and that the products match the purchase order.
Pay particular attention to substitutions. A replacement product may have different allergens, ingredients, storage requirements or preparation instructions.
Check the delivery area and vehicle for:
Dirt, pests or unusual odours
Leaks or damaged containers
Poor separation of raw and ready-to-eat food
Chemicals stored beside food
Signs that chilled or frozen conditions were not maintained
Poor vehicle conditions may indicate wider problems with handling or transport.
Packaging should be clean, sealed and undamaged.
Reject or isolate products with:
Open or torn packaging
Broken seals
Leaks
Damaged vacuum packs
Swollen or heavily damaged cans
Cracked containers
Pest damage
Visible contamination
Signs of thawing and refreezing
Minor damage to an outer box may not affect sealed inner packaging. Assess the condition of the food-contact packaging before making a decision.
Confirm that the product name, storage instructions, allergens and other important information are present and readable.
The delivered product should match the approved specification used by the business.
Do not accept food that has passed its use-by date.
A best-before date normally relates to quality rather than immediate safety, but the product should still have enough remaining shelf life for its intended use.
Record enough information to identify the product if a withdrawal or recall is announced.
This may include:
Supplier name
Product description
Batch or lot number
Delivery date
Quantity
Use-by or best-before date
Look for signs such as:
Mould
Unusual colour
Strong or unexpected odour
Pest damage
Leaking raw-food juices
Visible deterioration
Do not accept food that appears unsafe or unsuitable.
Record whether the delivery was:
Accepted
Partially accepted
Rejected
Quarantined for further assessment
Key takeaway: Check food against the documented temperature limit that applies to the specific product.
There is no single receiving temperature that applies to every chilled food across the European Union.
The correct limit may be set by:
Product-specific legislation
National requirements
Manufacturer instructions
Supplier specifications
The business’s food safety procedures
Many businesses use an internal chilled-food target such as 5°C or below. However, this should not be treated as a universal EU legal limit for every product.
Quick-frozen food is generally expected to be maintained at approximately −18°C or lower, subject to applicable legal tolerances.
|
Product type |
What to check |
|
Chilled food |
Check the product-specific limit, label and business procedure. |
|
Frozen food |
Check that it remains properly frozen and shows no signs of thawing. |
|
Hot food |
Check the documented transport or hot-holding limit. |
|
Ambient food |
Check packaging, condition and storage instructions |
Use a clean and calibrated thermometer where temperature measurement is required.
A simple process is:
Check the vehicle or display temperature.
Measure between packs where appropriate.
Probe a representative product if your procedure requires it.
Clean and disinfect the probe before and after use.
Record the result and decision.
Do not rely only on the vehicle display. Air temperature may change when doors are opened and may not reflect the actual product temperature.
Key takeaway: Reject or quarantine food when it does not meet your documented safety, temperature, packaging or traceability requirements.
Common reasons for rejection include:
|
Problem |
Action |
|
Incorrect product temperature |
Reject or quarantine according to the written procedure. |
|
Food showing signs of thawing or refreezing |
Reject or isolate for authorised assessment. |
|
Open, leaking or contaminated packaging |
Reject affected products. |
|
Product past its use-by date |
Reject. |
|
Missing supplier or batch information |
Hold or reject until the information is confirmed. |
|
Evidence of pests or contamination |
Reject affected products. |
|
Evidence of pests or contamination |
Reject or quarantine. |
|
Unapproved product substitution |
Confirm suitability before acceptance. |
Do not place rejected food in normal storage.
Clearly identify and separate it so that staff cannot use it accidentally. Arrange for return, replacement or disposal according to the business procedure.
The rejection record should include:
Supplier
Date and time
Product
Batch or lot number
Quantity
Reason for rejection
Temperature or defect found
Action taken
Name or initials of the checker
Where only part of a delivery is rejected, clearly record which products were accepted and which were not.
Key takeaway: Supplier approval helps businesses choose reliable suppliers, while traceability records help them identify affected food quickly.
Supplier approval is the process of checking whether a supplier can consistently provide safe, legal and suitable products.
The level of assessment should reflect the type of product and the level of risk
Business identity and contact details
Registration or approval status where required
Product specifications
Allergen information
Traceability arrangements
Temperature-control procedures
Complaint and rejection history
Recall or withdrawal history
Audit or inspection information
Response to previous problems
Supplier approval should be reviewed over time. Repeated delivery failures may require corrective action, additional checks or removal from the approved-supplier list.
A practical delivery record may include:
Delivery date and time
Supplier name
Product or product group
Batch or lot number
Date coding
Temperature result
Packaging condition
Vehicle condition
Acceptance or rejection decision
Corrective action
Name or initials of the checker
These records support the wider food safety monitoring and record-keeping process.
Country variations
EU legislation provides the general food safety framework, but individual countries and sectors may apply additional temperature, documentation or supplier-approval requirements. Businesses should confirm the rules that apply to their products and location.
For wider supervisory responsibilities, see Supervising Food Safety: The Complete Guide for Team Leaders.
Key takeaway: Trained supervisors help ensure that unsafe or unsuitable food is identified before it enters storage or production.
Supervisors should make sure that staff understand:
What must be checked
Which limits apply
When food must be rejected
How rejected food should be isolated
What information must be recorded
Who should make decisions when the result is unclear
The Food Hygiene and Safety for Supervisors supports supervisors in developing practical skills in food safety monitoring, record-keeping, corrective action and team management.
Food Hygiene and Safety for Supervisors course covering food safety and hygiene, supervisor responsibilities, APPCC/HACCP, allergens, contamination control, inspection evidence, and a food hygiene certificate level 3..
Training supports implementation but does not replace the need to assess the legal and operational requirements applying to each business.
Key takeaway: This article is based on EU food hygiene legislation, traceability requirements and practical food safety controls.
Principal sources include:
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 on general food law and traceability
European Commission food hygiene information
European Commission traceability guidance
Council Directive 89/108/EEC on quick-frozen foodstuffs
This article provides general professional guidance and is not legal advice. National and product-specific rules may add further requirements.
