Cooking, cooling and reheating records with the decision attached.

Use the target defined by the food-safety system

The Food Standards Agency explains that cooking safety can be achieved through validated combinations of temperature and time. One example is 75°C for 30 seconds, but it also lists other combinations. The business should use the method suitable for its food, process and documented controls rather than treating one number as the only possible safe method.

Use a clean thermometer correctly, measure an appropriate part of the food and follow the business's written process. Keep visual checks where they are also part of the method.

Separate the processes

• Cooking: record the food, batch or item, validated target, measured result and who checked it.
• Reheating: record that the food was reheated thoroughly under the business's safe method; FSA guidance says food should only be reheated once.
• Hot holding: FSA SFBB guidance says hot food must normally be kept at 63°C or above, subject to its stated exceptions.
• Cooling: record how the business cools food quickly and moves it into chilled storage under its safe method.
• Service outside control: where a documented time allowance is used, record when it began, when it is due and the final decision.

What a useful record contains

1. The food, batch or dish.
2. The process being checked.
3. The target from the documented safe method.
4. The actual time and temperature result.
5. The responsible person's initials or account.
6. The corrective action and final outcome when the target was not met.

Do not overwrite a failed result with a later acceptable one. Keep both the first result and what happened next so the record explains how control was restored.

Review repeated failures

One result may require immediate action. A pattern may require a different response: equipment maintenance, smaller batch sizes, process redesign, staff training or review of the HACCP control. The history should make that pattern visible.