Food Safety Compliance Checklist

Ask each employee about the FDA Food Code Big 6 reportable symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, lesions on hands, and exposure to a confirmed foodborne illness. Anyone reporting symptoms is restricted from food-contact work per Food Code 2-201.

Reassign the employee away from food and food-contact surfaces, or send home per company policy. Document the exclusion in the employee health log — health inspectors will ask for this if a complaint is filed. Vomiting and diarrhea require exclusion until symptom-free for 24 hours (or per local health code).

Each handwashing sink must have hot water (100°F+), soap, single-use paper towels, and a handwashing sign. Designated handwashing sinks cannot be used for food prep or warewashing — a common critical violation.

Cold-holding units must read 41°F or below per FDA Food Code. Record each unit's reading on the temp log; readings between 41–45°F require immediate corrective action and a recheck within an hour.

Submerge the probe in an ice-water slurry; it should read 32°F (±2°F). Adjust or replace if out of spec. A miscalibrated thermometer is the root cause of most cooking-log failures.

Soups, sauces, and held proteins must register 135°F or above (FDA Food Code 3-501.16). Stir before probing — surface temps can read 20°F lower than the center of the well.

Cooked TCS food must cool from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 41°F within an additional 4 hours. Record the start temp, 2-hour temp, and 6-hour temp on the cooling log. Skipping this log is one of the most common health inspector findings.

All TCS containers must be date-marked with prep date and use-by date (7 days max at 41°F or below per Food Code 3-501.17). Pull anything past use-by; older stock moves to the front.

Top-to-bottom order in the walk-in: ready-to-eat, whole produce, seafood, whole-muscle beef/pork, ground meats, poultry. This prevents raw juice from a higher shelf contaminating product below. Common audit fail when a delivery gets put away in a rush.

Probe at thickest point: poultry and stuffed items 165°F, ground meats and eggs held for service 155°F, whole-muscle pork/beef/seafood 145°F (15-second hold). Reheated TCS for hot-holding must hit 165°F within 2 hours.

Use the correct test strip for the chemistry: chlorine 50–100 ppm, quat 200–400 ppm (check manufacturer label), iodine 12.5–25 ppm. Water temp 75°F+. Record ppm on the sanitizer log.

High-temp machines: 150°F+ wash, 180°F+ final rinse (160°F at the dish surface). Chemical-sanitizing machines: follow the data plate. Use a heat-sensitive label or max-registering thermometer to verify the rinse, not just the gauge.

Wash, rinse, sanitize, air-dry — never towel-dry food-contact surfaces. Cutting boards, slicer, can opener blade, prep table tops every 4 hours during continuous use per Food Code 4-602.11.

Check dry storage, under low-boys, behind the ice machine, and along baseboards for droppings, gnaw marks, or grease tracks. Confirm door sweeps seal, screens are intact, and back-door is not propped during deliveries.

Confirm the licensed PCO's most recent service report, SDS sheets, and bait-station map are on file. Inspectors ask for this binder; missing reports is an automatic citation in most jurisdictions.

At least one Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) must be on site during all hours of operation in most jurisdictions. ServSafe expires after 5 years; Learn2Serve and state equivalents vary. Post the certificate where inspectors can see it.

New hires complete food handler training (ServSafe Food Handler, Learn2Serve, or state-mandated equivalent) before their first shift on the line. California, Texas, Illinois, and others mandate a window — typically 30 days from hire — for the card to be on file.

Use your local jurisdiction's inspection form (many counties publish the form online). Walk in the inspector's order: handwashing, employee health, temperature controls, cross-contamination, chemicals, facility. Score yourself honestly and address criticals before the next shift.