Empower Employees Through Food Safety Training
Inspecting food that comes into your establishment is crucial to food safety. You don’t want to accept contaminated food. This training will help you and your employees understand how to properly inspect and receive food in your establishment.
Learning Objectives
You may choose to read these learning objectives with your employees as a part of the stand-up training.
After this training, employees will be able to:
- Inspect received food for signs of contamination
- Know when to reject food
The Facts
You may choose to read these facts with your employees as a part of the stand-up training.
- A knowledgeable, trained employee should complete the inspection.
- Inspections should not be rushed. Schedule the deliveries before or after peak hours.
- Inspections should be completed before the delivery driver leaves.
- All food should be ordered and received from approved suppliers or providers. Approved suppliers are inspected to ensure that they produce food safely.
- Take and record the temperatures of all foods that need temperature control.
- If you notice any signs of possible contamination, reject the shipment. No amount of cooking can guarantee that the food will be safe.
Training Activities
Choose the activities that will be most beneficial for your employees. Modify them as needed to fit the training needs of your establishment.
The “Why” of Inspecting Food Deliveries
Discuss: Why is it important to inspect our food deliveries?
Watch: Receiving video
Discuss: What is the inspecting and receiving process at our establishment? Are there any steps we can improve?
Record: Write down ideas for improvement from the discussion and make a plan to implement them.
Receiving Temperature Quiz
Read: When we are receiving food deliveries, record the temperatures of all perishable foods in a Receiving Temperature Log.
Discuss: Who can remember the correct receiving temperatures for refrigerated food? Hot food? How do you take the temperature of eggs? Flat foods?
Review: Read these facts as needed to review the correct temperatures and how to take them.
- Frozen foods should be received frozen.
- Refrigerated food should be received under 41°F (5°C).
- Eggs may be received at an ambient air temperature of 45°F (7°C) or lower. Check the air temperature inside the refrigerated equipment to make sure that the eggs are safe to receive.
- Hot foods should be received at 135°F (57°C) or higher.
- The temperature of flat foods, such as bacon, can be taken by placing the thermometer between two packages.
Practice (optional): If possible, have employees practice taking the temperature of some food items. Have employees record the temperatures in the temperature log.
Contamination Investigation
Demonstrate or role-play: Have your employees watch you receive food or do a role-play in which you demonstrate how to receive food and look for signs of contamination.
Review: Help your staff understand which items to inspect and how to recognize signs of contamination. Signs of contamination include:
- Time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods that are in the temperature danger zone, between 41°F and 135°F (5–57°C)
- Abnormal color or smell
- Meat that leaves the imprint of your finger when you push on it
- Frozen food that has thawed or has ice crystals in the packaging
- Shellfish that are very muddy, have broken shells, or appear to be dead
- Damaged packages
- Signs of pests (droppings, gnaw marks, etc.)
Discuss: What should you do if you think a delivery item may be contaminated?
Following Up
Use these ideas to follow up with your employees and make sure they’re receiving food safely.
- Supervise employees when a shipment is being received. Be sure that they inspect the shipment properly. Once the food is received, ensure that employees store it properly. Praise your employees if you see them receiving and storing food properly. Correct any behavior that could result in contamination.
- Create a log for receiving or use the Receiving Temperature Log from the resource list below. Logs are a convenient place where employees can record times and temperatures for the food they receive. They are an excellent way to remind employees of the safety procedures they should follow. Logs also help you track whether food is being received safely.
Make sure your shift managers and supervisors can answer questions that other employees may have about the receiving. Encourage employees to ask questions when they need help instead of guessing at the right answer.
As needed, review this training with your employees.
Training Resources
The Receiving video covers basic guidelines that will help you and your employees inspect and receive food safely. View the Spanish version of this video: Recibiendo.
Use the Receiving Temperature Log as a guide for your employees to follow.
Did you use this stand-up training in your establishment? We’d love to get your feedback! Take a minute to do our feedback survey.
— Alyssa Erickson
