Food delivery & supplier record

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• Check it at the door, not later. Chilled food should arrive cold (8°C or below, ideally colder) and frozen food frozen hard. Packaging should be intact and nothing past its date. The moment to catch a problem is while the driver's still there and you can refuse it — once it's in your fridge, it's your problem.
• Reject with confidence. If a delivery's warm, damaged, out of date or just doesn't look right, turn it away and note it. A good supplier would rather take it back than have you serve it. Recording a rejection also shows an inspector you're actually checking, not just signing.
• Traceability is a legal duty — "one step back". You must be able to say who supplied your food. If there's ever a recall or a customer complaint, this record lets you trace a batch back to its source quickly. Keep delivery notes and invoices too; between them and this log you've got the trail.
• Know your suppliers, buy from good ones. Use reputable suppliers who handle food safely themselves — a cheap supplier with a warm van costs you far more if it triggers an outbreak. The supplier list is a quick reference for you and anyone covering for you.
• First in, first out. When you put a delivery away, move older stock to the front so it's used first, and check use-by dates as you go. Good rotation is what stops out-of-date food quietly building up at the back.
• It supports Safer Food, Better Business. Delivery and supplier records are part of the FSA's free SFBB system. Use SFBB as your overall approach and let this form keep the record.
• Applies UK-wide. Delivery checks and traceability duties apply across the UK under food hygiene and food law. The FSA and Food Standards Scotland have free guidance if you want a fuller checklist.