Opening and closing checks: a simple daily list for small UK kitchens

This is general guidance only. Your local authority’s food safety officers are the people to ask about your own business.

Why do opening and closing checks matter?

The FSA’s safe method on these checks says it is essential that you and your staff do certain checks every time you open and close, because it helps you keep the basic standards you need to make food safely.

They are also part of your records. The SFBB diary introduction says the manager should sign the diary every day to say the checks have been done and your safe methods have been followed. If something goes wrong, you note what happened and what you did, so you can show you took action to keep food safe.

What are the opening checks?

The FSA list for the start of the day is:

1. Fridges, chilled display equipment and freezers are working properly.
2. Other equipment, such as the oven, is working properly.
3. Staff are fit for work and wearing clean work clothes.
4. Food preparation areas (work surfaces, equipment, utensils) are clean and disinfected.
5. All areas are free from evidence of pest activity.
6. There are plenty of handwashing and cleaning materials, such as soap, paper towels and sanitiser.
7. Hot running water is available at all sinks and hand wash basins.
8. The probe thermometer is working and probe wipes are available.
9. Allergen information is accurate for all items on sale.
10. Cleaning has been carried out according to the cleaning schedule.

The FSA says you can add your own checks to the list, so include anything specific to your kitchen.

What are the closing checks?

At the end of the day, the FSA list is:

1. All food is covered, labelled and put in the fridge or freezer where appropriate.
2. Food on its use by date has been thrown away.
3. Dirty cleaning equipment has been cleaned or thrown away.
4. Waste has been removed and new bags put into the bins.
5. Food preparation areas are clean and disinfected.
6. All washing up has been finished.
7. Floors are swept and clean.
8. “Prove it” checks have been recorded.
9. Cleaning has been carried out according to the cleaning schedule.

The “Prove it” checks come from the pack’s Prove it safe method in the Management section. Again, you can add your own checks to the closing list.

How do you record opening and closing checks?

In the SFBB diary, each day has a place to tick that your opening checks and closing checks are done, and the manager signs to confirm it. The FSA says the diary should take about one minute a day, unless you have something special to write down. If the manager is not in, they can hand responsibility for the diary to another member of staff.

A few habits make the record more useful:

• Do the check, then tick. A tick written in advance proves nothing, and an officer may ask how the check was done.
• Write down anything that went wrong. The FSA asks you to note what happened and what you did, such as moving food out of a failing fridge.
• Keep fridge readings with the opening checks. The FSA’s chilled storage guidance says to check fridge temperatures at least once a day, starting with your opening checks. Our fridge temperature log guide covers this in more detail.
• Use the 4-weekly review. The diary includes a review every four weeks to look back for problems that keep coming up and decide how to fix them, for example with more staff training.

Can the food safety diary be kept on a phone?

Yes. The FSA says you can keep an electronic diary by downloading the diary pages onto your device, filling them in and storing them, or print the diary and fill it in by hand. Either way, keep completed pages safely until your next visit from a local authority food safety officer, who may want to see them along with your SFBB pack.

The FSA also says the pack must be completed for all your food operations, with daily records kept in the diary. In other words, a list of ticks on its own is not enough: the pack itself has to be filled in too.

What about extra checks?

Some checks are needed less often than every day. The FSA’s extra checks safe method gives examples such as a deep clean behind equipment and of vents and walls, clearing drains and fridge condensers, looking for pest entry points, and checking your probe thermometer. For the probe, it suggests boiling water and melting ice, with readings within 1°C of 100°C and 0°C. The diary has a box at the end of each week to record extra checks you have done.

Questions people ask

Where Food Safety Diary & Temp Log helps, and where it does not

Food Safety Diary & Temp Log is our Android app for keeping daily kitchen records on your phone. Its Today screen works as a to-do list: opening checks, each fridge and freezer, then closing checks. You sign off the opening and closing checklists with the initials of whoever is on shift, log fridge and freezer temperatures, and note what went wrong and what you did. Past days lock, late entries are marked and mistakes are struck out but stay visible. A history calendar shows complete days and gaps. Everything stays on your phone with no account. The daily diary is free. Pro, a one-time purchase you can try free for 7 days, adds an inspection PDF for any dates, a 4-weekly review, reminders, your own checklists and more premises.

What it is good for: a quick daily record of your checks that you can show when asked.

What it will not do: it is our own app and is not made or endorsed by the Food Standards Agency or Food Standards Scotland. It does not replace the SFBB pack, your own food safety management system, or advice from your local authority, and using it does not guarantee you meet the law or pass an inspection. The checks themselves still have to be done properly by a person in the kitchen.

Questions or bugs: Email us.

Sources

1. SFBB for caterers, opening and closing checks safe methodFood Standards Agency · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
2. SFBB for caterers, diary introductionFood Standards Agency · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
3. Safer food, better business (SFBB)Food Standards Agency · food.gov.uk
4. Safer food, better business for caterersGOV.UK · gov.uk
5. SFBB for retailers, chilled storage and displayFood Standards Agency · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk