5.1 Receiving Food Deliveries

Why Receiving Is a Control Point

Receiving is the first moment a food establishment controls the safety of incoming product, and it is one of the few points where unsafe food can be stopped before it ever reaches a customer. Once a contaminated or temperature-abused delivery is accepted and put away, the hazard travels through storage, prep, and service. The FDA Food Code therefore treats receiving as a deliberate inspection step, not a formality.

Plan deliveries so they arrive when staff are available to inspect them immediately. Never let a delivery sit on the dock while TCS food drifts into the temperature danger zone of 41°F to 135°F. Inspect one delivery at a time, move accepted items into proper storage right away, and document temperatures.

Checking Temperatures at Delivery

Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods must be received within strict temperature limits. Use a clean, calibrated thermometer and check the food itself, not just the truck air temperature. For packaged product, insert the probe between two packages or fold the thermometer against the surface to avoid puncturing the package.

If cold TCS product is at 45°F or hot product is at 120°F, it is out of compliance and must be rejected—do not "bring it down" in your own cooler.

Rejecting Criteria by Food Type

Temperature is only one reason to reject. Inspect packaging, color, texture, odor, and labeling. Reject and document any of the following:

• Meat: slimy or sticky surface, brown or green discoloration, sour odor, or temperature above 41°F.
• Poultry: purplish or green tint, abnormal stickiness, foul odor, or warm temperature.
• Fish: dull sunken eyes, gray gills (should be bright red), soft flesh that does not spring back, strong fishy/ammonia smell.
• Eggs: dirty or cracked shells, odor, or delivery air temperature above 45°F.
• Dairy: sour smell, curdled milk, moldy or slimy cheese, or temperature above 41°F.
• Produce: mold, mushy or wilted texture, insect damage, or discoloration.
• Canned goods: swollen or bulging ends, leaks, severe dents on a seam or seal, deep rust, or missing labels.
• Packaging: tears, holes, broken cartons, dampness, water stains, or punctures that compromise the barrier.

Signs of Thawing and Refreezing

Frozen food that has thawed and been refrozen is unsafe even if it is frozen solid on arrival. Look for large ice crystals on the food or packaging, frozen pools of liquid at the bottom of the case, or food packages frozen together in a block. These are clear signs of temperature abuse—reject the delivery.

Shellstock Tags, Pests, and Documentation

Live molluscan shellfish—oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops—arrive with a shellstock identification tag listing the dealer's certification number, the harvest date, and the harvest location. The tag stays attached to the original container until it is empty. After the last shellfish from a container is used, write the date the container was emptied on the tag and keep the tag on file for 90 days. This 90-day window exists because the hepatitis A virus has an unusually long incubation period; the tag lets investigators trace an outbreak back to a specific harvest bed if illness appears weeks later.

Containers without a proper tag must be rejected.

Also reject any delivery showing pest activity—droppings, gnaw marks, egg cases, live or dead insects, or rodent evidence in the truck or on the packaging. Verify date labels and "use-by" dates, and confirm the product matches the invoice in type and quantity. Record receiving temperatures and the disposition—accepted or rejected—so there is a written record if a problem surfaces later.

Calibrating and Using the Thermometer

A receiving inspection is only as reliable as the thermometer behind it, so the probe must be calibrated and clean. The two standard methods are the ice-point method and the boiling-point method.

• Ice-point method: fill a cup with crushed ice and water, insert the stem, and adjust the reading to 32°F (0°C). This is the more common method because it is precise and easy to set up anywhere.
• Boiling-point method: insert the stem into boiling water and adjust to 212°F (100°C) at sea level; the target drops at higher altitude.

Calibrate before each shift, after dropping the thermometer, and after large temperature swings. Sanitize the probe between uses so it does not transfer pathogens from one food to another. To check a TCS food at delivery, insert the stem into the thickest part of the item—never just the surface—and wait for the reading to stabilize. For packaged product, fold the thermometer between two packages so you do not puncture the seal and create a contamination point.

A Receiving Decision in Practice

Imagine a delivery of fresh salmon checks in at 47°F. Even though the rest of the order is fine, that salmon is above the 41°F limit and must be rejected on the spot—set it aside, mark it on the invoice, and tell the driver. Accepting it and "chilling it down" in your cooler is not allowed, because the food has already spent unknown time in the danger zone.