Food delivery log sheet: a free goods-in record

Print this sheet, put it on a clipboard by the back door with a probe and some wipes, and fill in a line for every delivery before anyone signs the driver's docket. Use the button below or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac): only the sheet prints.

How to use the sheet

1. Set your chilled limit and write it at the top. It must be 8°C or lower; many kitchens match it to their fridge setting, such as 5°C.
2. Take a temperature. An infrared gun is fine for a quick surface reading, but the FSA notes it can't read the centre of food and that shiny packaging and labels give false readings. If a reading looks high, confirm it with a clean, disinfected probe, ideally between two packs so you don't pierce anything.
3. Check the frozen goods are still frozen hard.
4. Look at dates and packaging. Use-by dates in date (with enough life left for your menu), packs sealed, nothing punctured, swollen or leaking, no badly dented cans.
5. Look for pests: gnawed packaging, droppings, insects in dry goods.
6. Accept or reject, sign the line, and put chilled and frozen food away straight away.

Write the invoice number next to the supplier. That links your check to the paperwork that proves where the food came from.

Why goods-in records matter

Two legal duties meet at the back door. Food hygiene law says you shouldn't accept raw materials or ingredients you know, or could reasonably expect, to be contaminated so badly that normal handling wouldn't make them safe. And traceability: the FSA's SFBB pack says you must keep a record of what food you bought, who from, the quantity and the date, so you or an enforcement officer can trace it. Invoices usually cover that; this log shows the checks behind them.

Temperature is the other one. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below, and Scotland recommends the same. Accepting a warm delivery doesn't move the responsibility back to the supplier. For the full routine, see our guide to food delivery checks.

When you reject a delivery

The FSA's instruction is short: if you don't think the food has been handled safely, reject it, contact the supplier immediately and write it down. Note what was wrong in the accept/reject column, for example "R: chicken 11°C".

If the same supplier keeps getting it wrong, SFBB suggests escalating: phone them, then write a formal complaint, then change supplier, and contact your local authority if needed. If a supplier you don't know gets in touch out of the blue, check with your council that they're registered and reputable before you buy.

Paper at the back door, or a phone

The weak point of any goods-in sheet is the 7am delivery when the kitchen porter is the only one in. The clipboard is in the office, the probe is in a drawer, and the driver is in a hurry.

ShiftComplete puts the delivery check on the phone in their pocket. Set it up as a checklist with each check as a tick, named and timestamped, and require a photo of the probe reading or the label before it can be ticked off. Fridges and freezers the delivery goes into are temperature log points with their own ranges, flagged on the dashboard if they drift. A rejected delivery becomes an incident with a photo, severity and notes on what the supplier said, open until someone marks it resolved.

It helps you keep the records an EHO asks to see. It's £1.49 per staff member per month, and free for 60 days with no card needed.