Free delivery temperature record sheet
FSA guidance is to check deliveries when they arrive: that food has been kept cold enough, is within its use by date and is clean and undamaged, and to reject a delivery you do not think has been handled safely (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Stock control" and "Suppliers and contractors"). This free tool makes an A4 sheet for the month with a time and a reading for each supplier, initials, and a column for what you did if a delivery was not right.
Make your sheet
A printable A4 goods-in record for the month: your own suppliers of chilled and frozen food, each with a time and a reading, initials and an action column.
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Preview
How to use the log sheet maker
- The check type is set to "Deliveries". You can switch to another kind of sheet.
- Type your café's name and the site, if you want them on the sheet, and pick the month.
- Add each supplier who delivers chilled or frozen food, and say which it is. Up to five fit on one sheet.
- Choose one delivery a day for each supplier, or two or three if they come more often.
- Press "Print or save as PDF" and keep the sheet where deliveries come in, with a probe or an infrared thermometer.
- When a delivery arrives, staff write the time, the reading in °C and their initials, and what they did if it was not right, for example "rejected, supplier called".
The temperatures on the sheet
The sheet prints each unit's limit under its name and the figures below in its legend. Where a figure is the law it says so, and where it is FSA guidance it says that too.
- 8°C or below
- Chilled food. This is the legal limit in England and Wales for food kept at your premises (England, Schedule 4; Wales, Schedule 4). FSA guidance is to check food is at 8°C or below with a disinfected probe (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Prove it").
- −18°C or below
- Frozen food. This is FSA guidance (Safer food, better business for caterers, Management section, "Prove it").
- Kept cold enough
- FSA guidance: check all stock when it is delivered, to make sure it has been kept cold enough, and carry out regular delivery time, temperature and quality spot checks (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Stock control" and "Suppliers and contractors").
Questions café owners ask
- What should I check when a food delivery arrives?
- FSA guidance is to check all stock when it is delivered, to make sure that it is within its use by date, it has been kept cold enough, it has not gone off, and it is clean and not damaged, for example punctured vacuum packs, swollen packs or badly dented cans (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Stock control").
- What temperature should a chilled delivery be?
- Chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below: that is the law in England and Wales for food at your premises (England, Schedule 4; Wales, Schedule 4). FSA guidance is to check deliveries have been kept cold enough, and to check food is at 8°C or below with a disinfected probe, tip in the centre (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Stock control" and "Prove it").
- Can I use an infrared thermometer on deliveries?
- Yes, for the surface. FSA guidance is that infrared thermometers are used for testing the cold surface temperature of food when it is delivered or in fridges and freezers, but not the centre of cooked, reheated or cooling food. Avoid shiny packaging and labels, and if the reading seems high, confirm it with a clean, disinfected probe (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Prove it").
- What should I do if a delivery is not cold enough?
- FSA guidance is that if you do not think food a supplier delivers has been handled safely, for example if you think it has not been kept cold enough, reject the delivery, contact your supplier straight away and write down the details (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Suppliers and contractors"). The sheet's last column is for that.
- Do I need to keep records of food deliveries?
- Yes. The FSA's pack says keeping a record of what food you bought, who from, the quantity and the date is a legal requirement, so that you or an enforcement officer can check where a food came from. Usually the easiest way is to keep all your invoices and receipts (Safer food, better business for caterers, "Suppliers and contractors"). A delivery temperature sheet sits alongside them.
Sources
Every source below was read on 13 October 2026.
Keep the records that go with it.
managero records deliveries and fridge temperatures on a phone, with a name and a time against every reading, and keeps the history for the inspector export. £18.99 excl VAT a month for your first site, with managero HR & Safety included.