Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
From temperature logs to cleaning schedules, food safety records are your first line of defence in proving that your business follows the right protocols to keep customers safe. While it may seem like a simple box-ticking exercise, keeping accurate food safety records actually plays an important role in the reputation and ongoing success of your business.
Whether you’re dealing with a routine inspection or a surprise audit, having well-organised records can make all the difference to whether you sink or swim. To help you get your food safety records right, the team at Telsen has put together this essential guide that includes why accurate records are so important, what they should include, and how you can make this tedious task far simpler and (dare we say it) more enjoyable!
It’s likely that you already know what food safety records are, but in a nutshell, these include things like temperature checks, cleaning logs, and employee training documentation—essentially everything that your hospitality business should be doing to prove your food preparation, handling, and storage practices are done safely.
Some key food safety records include:
Temperature checks: Logging temperatures of food storage areas and equipment.
Cleaning logs: Documentation of cleaning and sanitising procedures.
Pest control records: Records of what measures have been put in place to protect against pests.
Ingredient sourcing: Records of where you’ve sourced the ingredients in your food from.
Employee training documentation: Documentation of the training you’ve provided to your employees around compliant food safety practices.
We mentioned before that accurate food safety records aren’t just a checklist of things you tick off and forget about, and here’s why.
Accurate food safety records are vital for meeting food safety regulations and passing EHO inspections. If your records fall short of the regulations (even if you’re doing all the right things), you’ll not only do some damage to your reputation and your bottom line, but you could also be in for penalties such as fines or even a shutdown period.
Having accurate and well-maintained food safety records on hand can help you identify potential food safety hazards and mitigate any risks before they escalate. For example, monitoring fridge temperatures and recording these regularly will help to stop any food spoilage.
When food safety records are accurate and up-to-date, you’ve got a clear path of traceability should something go wrong. Say a customer complaint comes through citing a foodborne illness, you can go through your records to see what food safety measures were put in place that day to either hold someone accountable or prove your innocence.
When it comes to choosing where to eat, customers are going to be pretty discerning. With plenty of great options around, competition is fierce and you don’t want to be struck off the prospect list for poor food safety after you failed your latest inspection simply because you couldn’t prove that you were handling food safely.
Traditionally, many businesses used paper checklists and logbooks to document key food safety tasks like temperature checks and cleaning schedules, but of course this isn’t a reliable long-term solution. That’s because paper records can easily get misplaced, ripped, or stained, and sifting through stacks of paper to find specific records wastes valuable time.
Enter the future of accurate food safety records: digital food safety management software. Digital systems take food safety record-keeping to the next level by automatically generating timestamps and tracking who completed each task. This not only streamlines the process but also adds an extra layer of accountability and accuracy. With clear, time-stamped records and user tracking, you can quickly verify when tasks were completed and by whom, reducing the risk of missed entries and ensuring a consistent, reliable record-keeping process.
Set Up Checklists: Establish daily, weekly, and monthly checklists for key tasks like equipment maintenance, temperature checks, and cleaning schedules.
Staff Training: Ensure all staff members understand proper record-keeping procedures and the importance of accuracy.
Regular Audits: Conduct routine audits to verify that all records are complete, accurate, and up-to-date.
Stay Consistent: Stick to a regular schedule for recording data to prevent missed entries and maintain comprehensive records.
Go Digital: Use digital food safety software to streamline record-keeping, reduce paperwork, and maintain accurate, time-stamped records.
Telsen takes the guesswork out of compliance by providing digital food safety software that covers every aspect of food safety management. From monitoring temperatures to daily cleaning schedules, you can track it all in one place. With real-time data logging and automated reporting, accuracy is a given—and you’ll have a centralised dashboard where all records are instantly accessible.
With Telsen you can experience:
Customisable Checklists: Tailor checklists to cover every aspect of food safety management, from temperature monitoring to equipment maintenance. You can even conduct audits directly on Telsen now too.
Real-Time Data Logging: Say goodbye to chasing down paper logs or deciphering messy handwriting. With Telsen, data is recorded instantly and updated in real time, reducing the risk of missed or inaccurate entries.
Automated Reporting: No more scrambling to find paper records or manually compiling data to prepare for an EHO inspection. With Telsen, you can generate organised, easy-to-read reports that demonstrate your commitment to food safety compliance.
Alerts & Reminders: Never miss a critical task again. Telsen’s software sends automatic notifications and reminders for essential checks like fridge temperature monitoring, equipment servicing, and handover notes.
Easy-to-Use App: Engineered to perform essential food safety checks effortlessly and accurately, our food safety app is intuitive and user-friendly for you and your team.
Now that you’ve seen just how important accurate food safety records are for your business, it’s time to put systems in place to help you stay on top of your record-keeping. To see for yourself how Telsen can simplify your food safety management, book a free demo today and experience the difference.