A Food Safety Audit Checklist You Can Actually Run

An audit is only useful if it produces a written list of things to fix. Here is a checklist structured so it can be run by one person in about an hour, and produces a record an inspector would accept.

Before you start

Walk the kitchen as a new starter would. Note anything that looks wrong before you consult any document — your first impression is data, and it often contradicts what the paperwork claims.

Personal hygiene

• Handwashing facilities: warm running water, soap, drying — at every required point.
• Handwash basins used only for hands, not for food or equipment.
• No jewellery on hands or wrists while handling food; one plain band ring is acceptable.
• Hair restrained effectively.
• Staff appearance: clean uniform, no outdoor clothing, covered cuts.
• Cuts covered with a coloured, detectable plaster.

Temperature control

• Fridges and freezers reading within range — read the actual display, do not trust the set point.
• Probe thermometer present, working, and calibrated today.
• Calibration record exists and is current.
• Raw meat stored below ready-to-eat food, physically separated.
• All food date-marked where required; nothing past use-by in production.
• Cooling procedure in place and the last batch that used it was handled correctly.

Cross-contamination

• Raw and ready-to-eat separated in storage, in the fridge and on the pass.
• Separate chopping boards and knives for raw meat, fish, vegetables and allergens.
• Colour-coding in use and understood by the team.
• Washing facilities do not cause splash contamination between raw and ready-to-eat.
• No evidence of washing raw chicken or raw shellfish — a recurring and serious finding.

Allergen control

• Written allergen information exists, is current, and matches the menu being served.
• The matrix is on the floor, not in an office.
• Dedicated equipment for the allergens you claim to control is present, clean and stored separately.
• Staff can state the escalation path.
• Supplier specifications on file for high-risk ingredients.
• Menu board and online listings are consistent with the matrix.

Cleaning and chemicals

• All chemicals labelled, stored away from food, and the original container intact.
• COSHH information available for any chemical a cleaner might use.
• Cleaning schedule exists and shows completed tasks.
• Cloths and sanitiser changed on schedule; sanitiser concentration correct.
• No mixing of chemicals.
• Wash-up area clean, single-use cloths disposed of correctly.

Pest control and waste

• No evidence of pest activity; monitoring in place and current.
• Waste stored in closed containers, away from doors and food.
• External waste area clean and accessible.

Records

• Temperature logs complete for the period reviewed, including today.
• Cleaning records complete.
• Staff training records present, with certificates and assessment results.
• Allergen matrix dated and signed.
• Any incident reports and their corrective actions.

Turning it into action

An audit that produces a list nobody sees again has no value. Three rules make it stick:

1. Record everything, including what is fine. A clean audit with no findings is still evidence the process ran.
2. Assign an owner and a date to every finding at the point it is written, not in a follow-up meeting.
3. Re-audit the findings. An audit with no verification is an opinion.

When to escalate

Some findings are not yours to close. Any suspected food poisoning, an allergen incident, a pest infestation, or a refrigeration failure affecting stock requires notifying the local authority. Never close these internally — the notification obligation exists regardless of whether you have fixed the problem.