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Which food safety records do I need?
Tick what your business does. You get the records an inspector will expect, then print every sheet you need in one click. Free, and nothing is sent anywhere.
One click opens the print window with every sheet. You can change any number in the list below.
15 records for your business
- HACCP plan (food safety management system)
Every food business
Required by law for every food business, in proportion to what you do. For many caterers this is the FSAI Safe Catering pack.
- Cleaning schedule
Every food business
What gets cleaned, how often and with what product, initialled each day it is done, and checked by a manager.
- Hygiene inspection checklist
Every food business (SC5)
A regular walk-round of the premises and how staff work: each area OK or an issue, what will be done and by whom, and when it was sorted.
- Pest control log
Every food business
Regular checks of food areas for signs of pests, that doors, drains and gaps are proofed, that traps are checked, and any action taken.
- Fitness to work record
Every food handler, owner included (SC7)
When someone starts, comes back after illness, or at routine checks: that they know to report illness before work, and whether they are fit to work with food.
- Delivery (goods-in) log
You take in deliveries (SC1)
Each delivery: supplier, product, batch code, use-by date, the temperature of chilled and frozen food, packaging, and whether it was accepted.
- Fridge and freezer temperature log
You keep food chilled or frozen (SC2)
Each fridge and freezer, twice a day: the actual temperature, who checked it, and what was done if it was out of range.
- Cooking temperature log
You cook food (SC3)
Each batch you cook: the core temperature reached, the time, who checked it, and what was done if it did not reach temperature.
- Cooling log
You cool cooked food (SC3)
Each batch you cool: when cooking finished, when it went into the fridge, its temperature then, and what was done if it cooled too slowly.
- Reheating record
You reheat food (SC3)
Each time food is reheated: what it was, the core temperature reached and who checked it. Food is reheated once only.
Uses the same sheet as the cooking log above.
- Hot holding log
You keep food hot for service (SC4)
Food kept hot for service: when it went in, temperature checks while it is held, and when it was served or thrown out.
- Food transport and delivery log
You deliver food out (SC9)
Each time you send food out: where it went, its temperature leaving and at hand-over, and that it travelled clean, covered and kept apart.
- Allergen matrix
You serve food that isn’t prepacked
Which of the 14 allergens are in each dish, so staff can answer customers correctly. Review it whenever a recipe, ingredient or supplier changes.
- Staff training record
You have staff (SC6)
Each person’s food hygiene training: the topic or course, the date, who trained them, any certificate, and when to refresh it.
- Probe calibration record
You use a probe thermometer
Checks that each probe thermometer reads correctly in iced water and in boiling water, and what was done if one failed.
Based on FSAI guidance and the FSAI Safe Catering pack. This is general information, not advice for your business. Your food safety management system (HACCP plan) and FSAI guidance are the reference. Hygivo is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FSAI.
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<a href="https://hygivo.com/tools/food-safety-records-checker">Which food safety records do I need? Free checker</a>Questions
What food safety records does a small café need in Ireland?
At least a HACCP-based food safety management system, a cleaning schedule, pest control checks and fitness to work for food handlers. Most cafés also need fridge temperature records, delivery records and allergen information for loose food. If you cook, cool, reheat or hot hold food, you need records for those steps too.
Do I have to use the FSAI Safe Catering pack forms?
No. The FSAI Safe Catering pack is a ready-made system many Irish caterers use, but you can keep the same information on your own forms or in an app, as long as it matches your food safety management system and is complete and up to date.
How long do I keep food safety records?
For most catering records there is no single period written into law. Keep them long enough to show your HACCP procedures are working, set the periods in your HACCP plan, and keep traceability records at least until the food can reasonably be assumed to have been eaten. Many kitchens keep at least a year of temperature records.
Is this checker legal advice?
No. It is a starting list based on FSAI guidance. Your own HACCP plan decides which records you keep and how often. If you are unsure, ask your environmental health officer or a food safety consultant.
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