NSF Food Safety Audit

Title Page

NSF Food Safety
SIte
Conducted on
Prepared by
Location
Chefs on Duty

Handwashing.

Sufficient number of readily accessible wash hand basins with Hot and Cold running water and sinks draining correctly.
Wash hand basins used only for hand washing.
Wash hand basins provided with liquid soap and disposable towels in dispensers
Staff toilets / changing area clean and suitably equipped with soap, paper towels and toilet roll, with hot and cold water available at sink.
Lever or pad operated taps operating correctly or hand operated taps turned off using blue roll
Do kitchen team demonstrate awareness of when hand washing is required and wash their hands correctly
Get a food handler to wash their hands. Do they demonstrate correct procedure - Name food handler in report.

Cross Contamination

Are raw meat & unwashed vegetables prepared prior to opening either in dedicated raw prep area or in low risk areas where ready to eat food is not subsequently prepared. - All raw prep should be carried out prior to trading. This should be done in a suitable location, away from any complex equipment. If the design and layout of the kitchen allows, a dedicated area should be set aside and signed as the raw prep area.
Red Boards / Knife/utensils available and being used & kept separate from ready to eat boards & areas of kitchen? - All cutting of raw meat must be done on a red board, using a red handled knife. Any equipment used for the preparation of raw meat must be stored where it does not come into contact with other utensils. This may for example be spaced as far as possable in a board rack, or in a utensil tray. Boards must be in good condition.
Red and silver tongs available and being used. - Red handled tongs must be used to remove raw meat from its container, and cooked to 'first turn', then a pair of silver tongs must be used to finish the cooking process. Tongs coloured other than silver is ok, as long as staff understand & employ colour coding concept. Tongs must be stored separately between use.
Unwashed veg stored correctly to prevent cross-contamination. - Unwashed vegetables that are not 'ready to eat' must be stored so they cannot contaminate high risk foods. Such items would not generally require refrigeration.
Other food stored correctly to avoid cross contamination. - Where possible store raw and ready to eat food in different fridges and freezers. If storage is in the same fridge or freezer, follow this top down layout: Dairy, Cooked meat, Salad, Vegetables, eggs, Raw meat, Raw fish.
Through observation or questioning to ensure 2 stage cleaning process is being followed. Name food handler questioned. - Two stage clean as you go for work tops and equipment: 1. Remove visible dirt, grease and debris from the equipment or work top. Apply a solution of C2 or C3 using a clean cloth. If you are cleaning after preparing red meat, use disposable blue roll and discard after use. Continue until area is visibly clean. Dry the area using disposable paper roll. 2. Spray C1 onto the clean surface and leave in place for at least 30 seconds (anything less and bacteria will not be destroyed.), Wipe dry with disposable paper roll.
Team understand & follow the correct sanitizer contact time - Team members should be aware that to kill bacteria, a minimum 30 second contact time is required. Only for restaurants preparing live shellfish where viral kill is needed, the correct concentration of sanitizer with a 5 minute contact time is required for areas where shellfish is prepared.
No risk of chemical contamination. - While appropriate chemicals may be available for 'Clean as you go', bulk stores of chemicals should be stored away from, and certainly below any food, and there should be no inappropriate chemicals in areas where they could contaminate food. All chemicals should be labelled and stored in appropriate containers.
No risk of physical contamination. - Food should be covered, staff should follow the personal hygiene policy and jewellery policy, there should be no pest access, and there should be no glass in the kitchen, other than properly managed glass in the dessert area.
Separate cling film dispenser available for raw and ready to eat food (where used) - Where cling film is used for both high risk and raw foods, two different dispensers need to be provided, ideally different colours or clearly marked to prevent confusion.
Disposable aprons available and being used as required when meat preparation is taking place - Disposable aprons must be available in the kitchen, and be used during meat prep . N.B does not apply in sites where meat is only decanted from box to fridge & fridge to griddle. Does not apply to slicing or tenderising of raw meat.
Where vac pack machine is in use, separate machines used for raw and ready to eat and correct policy followed. - In kitchens using vac pac machines, separate machines must be available for raw and high risk foods, and be easily recognisable, usually through colour coding. Foods that are vac-packed may be dated day + 9 in line with policy. Ensure supplimental HACCP sheet is displayed in Tarrifold.
Food protected from contamination during preparation and service - Appropriate separation of raw and high risk food needs to be maintained during both production and service. This would include proper spacing in any fridge or saladette unit, but also operational practices such as limiting handling of raw items such as eggs during service.
Where live shellfish are being prepared, are surfaces being properly sanitized before and after? - Prior to preparation, areas such as sinks or buckets must be sanitized for bacterial and viral contamination. A 5 minute contact time is required for this, with C1+ used at the correct concentration. Areas such as fish counters must be properly sanitized at the end of the shift - see HACCP guidance.

Practices

Is Gravy & Stock production & holding carried out safely? - In many cases, gravy will be produced from granuals, and should be made fresh as required. If it is hot held, it must first have been heated to at least 75°C, then held above 63°C. Where stock pots are used, there must be a system in place where the stock is brought to a rolling boil, then maintained above 63°C. If cooled, it must be chilled rapidly using ice baths/cores or flat trays, and in any event refrigirated within 90 minutes. If stock is left for extended periods of time, a tall, thinner stock pot can help to remove cool spots, or failing this, occasional stirring can have the same effect.
Where buffets are served, a buffet sheet must be completed for all buffets. - When buffets are served, a buffet sheet is completed for each buffet. This is in addition to any other paperwork or Standards diary. The sheet must be filed in such a way as to be accessible.
Full set of Day dots available along with freezer / large white labels - Monday - Sunday day dots must be available, ideally in a suitable dispenser. Freezer labels / large white HACCP labels should also be available.
Correct day dotting practice being followed - Food should be dated with a maximum of 'day of production or defrost plus 3', but not exceeding any 'Use By' dates or manufacturers guidance. This does include 'cakeaway' in Horse sites, but Farmhouse sites may have a day + 6 policy on cakeaway, but not exceeding ingredient 'life'. VacPack foods may have a Day + 9 date - see VacPac HACCP sheet. Longer life items are 'scored' later. These standards have been approved by our Primary Authority.
No food past Use by date - No food past its 'Use By' date may be in the kitchen or storage units. If food has been put to one side for any reason, it must be clearly labelled as 'not for human consumption'. Guidance should be given regarding 'Best Before' dates, but best before dates should not be penalised. (Check last nights close down checks)
Refrigerated storage at 8°C or less (LFR 5°C) - All refrigerated storage should be at 8°C or less. This should be seen as an upper limit, with levels below 5°C aimed for (Do not penalise as long as 8° Celsius is not exceeded). In Loch Fyne 5° Celsius should be the maximum temperature, with wet fish stored as close to 0°C as practical.
Delivery temperatures recorded - Every chilled or frozen delivery must be checked, and a temperature check recorded in the appropriate section of the kitchen documentation. Reject above 8° or -12° Celsius
Delivery stored within correct timescales - Refrigerate chilled and frozen food as soon as possible following delivery, with a target of no more than 45 mins outside of the chill chain.
Longer life labels being used correctly - Long life food such as sauces that have a limited life once opened or defrosted must have an appropriate date label attached to show opening and discard date, in line with manufacturers instructions.
No evidence of re dotting - Food may not be re-day dotted, and any clear evidence of this will be treated seriously. To prevent any confusion and to show good washing practices, old day dots should be removed then containers are washed.
High risk food covered - All high risk food must be covered during storage. Saladettes may be uncovered where appropriate.
High Risk food not left out at ambient temperature - High risk foods requiring refrigeration must be refrigerated, except during preparation and service. On buffets refrigeration may be appropriate, but is not always required. Hollandaise/Béarnaise may be prepared and held at room temperature for no more than 4 hours.
Relevant food cooked to 75°C and above, records available to demonstrate - Food such as Rolled or skewered meat, chicken, beef burgers, and sausages must be cooked to achieve a core temperature of 75°C for 30 seconds, and there must be an appropriate record of this cooking temperature. SousVide cooking or similar may be to a lower level, but must be correctly managed. Where poultry is cooked from raw (Most is pre-cooked), in addition to other checks, a daily poultry cook probe check must be recorded
Food hot held at least at 63°C, all holding units including displays checked & recorded - Food that is hot held must be kept at least 63°C, and this temperature must be checked and recorded at least once per day.
Where Altoshaams or similar ovens used, cooking records for this are required, correctly completed. - Records verifying the equipment is working correctly are required. This could be the Altoshaam cooking sheet from GK1, or 'Master Carver' or other appropriate paperwork.
Food reheated to correct temperature, records available - Reheated food must be reheated to at least 75C for 30 seconds, or in Scotland 82C. This must be recorded as appropriate. SousVide reheating may be to a lower level, but must be correctly managed in line with the policy
Defrosting carried out under refrigeration (overnight) and no evidence of uncontrolled defrosting - Staff should be managing prep levels by placing dated frozen foods under refrigeration, to defrost for the following day at the end of evening service. This defrost should be done to an appropriate par level. If 'emergency' defrost is required, then it should be carefully controlled and done as an exception, rather than a standard practice.
Appropriate number of probe's available and working - At least one working food probe and one spare must be available at all times (if no spare, proof a replacement has been ordered would suffice). Depending on kitchen layout, more operational probes may be required, especially if remote kitchens are used.
Fresh Probe wipes available - Probe wipes must be available for use that are appropriate for cleaning probes, be to hand and be moist.
Probe and temperature gauges calibrated weekly - The food probes must be checked using ice/water test every week and fridge/freezer gauges must be checked using the probe for validation. This must be recorded on the 'calibration' sheet found on GK1
If food is chilled for later service, all controls and records present - Where food is cooked, then chilled for later use, a record must be made verifying it is refrigerated within 90 mins. If not hot held, Rice or Pasta must be chilled under cold running water and refrigirated as soon as possible after cooking.
In house freezing policy followed - Food may be frozen in house, but it should be frozen ideally on receipt or production, but in any case no less than 3 days before it's 'use by life'. It must be frozen and marked with a frozen on, and defrost by date, giving no more than 3 months 'life'. Freezer labels should be used.
All food waste disposed of in appropriate manner - Food waste must be appropriately discarded, into refuse bags that are tied up and discarded in to external waste bins.
Wounds and sores kept covered. - Food production and service staff must cover any cuts or sores that may come into contact with food, with a suitably coloured plaster or dressing.
Clean uniforms, laundered in hot wash - Food production and service staff must wear clean clothes. Kitchen staff must wear appropriate clothes that has been washed in a hot wash to reduce bacterial levels.
Ice scoop correctly stored in clean plastic container - The ice machine scoop must be stored out of the ice machine in a clean, dry washable container. Storage in sanitizer should be discouraged.
No foreign bodies in ice machine - bottles etc. - The ice machine should only have ice in it - no drinks bottles etc.
No inappropriate food stored in cellar area - In the cellar area food storage should be discouraged. If unavoidable, only food that is suitable for storage at this temperature should be allowed, containerised if required for food safety.

Paperwork Completion / Training

All kitchen staff have completed basic food hygiene training - Kitchen team members must have completed a level 2 food hygiene certificate in the last 3 years. This may be the online CLS course, the level 2 FLOW course, or an accredited course, but a copy of the certificate must be in their staff folder. Check at least 3 recent kitchen recruits. NB waiting staff do not need this.
Do cleaning records accurately reflect conditions seen during audit? - Staff and managers have to record they have completed daily and weekly cleaning. This cleaning record should be factual, so if there are any areas that are not clean, this should be reflected in the cleaning records. It should also only cover equipment actually on site, and historic records should contain comments where problems have happened - every box ticked is likely not to be factually correct, and should be commented upon.
Opening and closing procedures accurately recorded - The opening and closing procedure is signed off by chef's on duty, and this needs to be factual. The checks for example refer to prep and par lists - does the site have them? Also there are unlikely to be no issues at all - so page after page of simply ticked boxes needs to be commented upon.
Where appropriate, are traceability records retained (especially live bivalves) - Traceability sheet completed and relevant healthmark tag attached. In general this is only required for live bivalve molluscs, oysters, mussels, clams etc.
Are there any missing food hygiene records - The team should retain at least 6 months of records, and any missing records should be commented on. If records are missing but there is a suitable explanation WRITTEN in the records, this should be commented upon, but not penalised.
Is there evidence duty management properly check the kitchen daily? - Duty managers are expected to check the kitchen throughout the day, but specifically at the end of service. There should be evidence of their checks, most probably in the form of comments on either the Standards diary or the 'Chef's Daily Audit' sheet. A daily comment, either positive or critical should be encouraged for each day.

Structure

Cooking equipment in good state of repair - Cooking equipment should be in such a state of repair that they operate safely and achieve the correct temperatures, but also present cleanable surfaces. Defects that can be shown to be in the process of being actioned should not be penalised. This would normally be a 'reactive maintenance' sheet for the defect, no more than 1 month old, with appropriate PULSE backup.
Refrigerated equipment in good state of repair. - Refrigeration equipment should be in such a state of repair that they operate safely and achieve the correct temperatures, but also present cleanable surfaces. Defects that can be shown to be in the process of being actioned should not be penalised. This would normally be a 'reactive maintenance' sheet for the defect, no more than 1 month old, although failure of units such as walk in freezers should be a 'same day' callout.
General structure walls, floors and ceilings in good repair - These surfaces should be well maintained. There may be minor defects, but there should be documentary evidence they are being addressed. This may be in the kitchen documentation, reactive maintenance book or another record. Significant repairs issues, such as extensive areas of damaged flooring must have evidence they have been logged with property and logged on the weekly 'Safe and Legal' sheet
Preparation areas in good state of repair - Prep areas must be appropriate for the task, and any damage should be managed to prevent contamination, but also logged for repair.
Cupboards and storage areas in good state of repair - Storage areas should present clean, washable surfaces, and be in suitable repair.
Extractor canopy working and clean - The extractior canopy hood and should be clean. May show minor grease, in line with the cleaning schedule.
Filters in place and good condition - The canopy filters must be in good repair, and be in place when the kitchen is trading. If any are missing, this must be shown as being actioned, through a recent reactive maintenance book entry, viewable on PULSE.
Insectocutor clean and units working - The insectocutor must be working, with no flickering bulbs, and in the case of 'sticky' units, there must be a sticky pad/roll in place.
Pest Contract in operation and all points noted in report actioned by management, Pest records available for visit within the last 10 weeks - There must be a pest control contract in place, with the management aware of any recommendations. Proof that these recommendations are being followed must be seen, such as reactive maintenance and PULSE records of work being logged. A visit should have taken place within the last 10 weeks (Normal frequency is 6 weeks),a and a copy of the report must be available to view. This would normally be a printed report in a folder, but if electronic reports are used the management must be able to quickly access the last report.
No evidence of pest activity or infestation - There must be no evidence of pest activity. This may include actual sightings, but could include droppings or other indicators. An initial step would be improved cleaning and an urgent pest contractor call-out.

Cleaning

Jeyes kitchen wall chart on display - The Jeyes kitchen wall chart must be displayed in the kitchen and any satellite kitchen, in a visible location. The current version should have a 30 second contact time for sanitizer
Appropriate Cleaning schedule available, fully completed by staff and counter signed by management. - The cleaning schedule should match the kitchen, ensuring all areas and equipment are covered. It must be signed by team members, and counter signed by management. The record should show issues - and not just be a 'tick box' exercise.
Sanitizer available and regularly used - Sanitizer must be made up into an appropriate number of spray bottles, and be available in prep areas for 'clean as you go'.
Evidence of 'clean as you go' - There should be no evidence of built up dirt/debris on prep surfaces, cleaning equipment must be to hand, and there should be no more than a limited amount of food debris on the floor during service times.
Disposable cloths /Paper towels used for cleaning surfaces - Only disposable cloths or paper towels should be used for cleaning food and hand contact surfaces in the kitchen.
Mops kept clean and/or dried between use - The kitchen team should be keeping mops clean, and allowing them to dry out between use. Keeping mops in buckets of dirty water is not allowed.
Deck scrubber available and used - The team must have a deck scrubber, with a handle, and there should be evidence it is being used on a daily basis to apply the cleaning solution to the floor for the 'end of night' clean.
Appropriate chemicals used for floor cleaning - The kitchen team should be using a suitable cleaner/degreaser for cleaning the kitchen floor - generally C32 used as one scoop in a 5L bucket. 'Pine Gel' should not be used in the kitchen.
Hand contact surfaces clean - All hand contact surfaces should be suitable clean, with no visible dirt, or 'braille effect'
Walls clean - The walls need to be in a clean, hygienic condition. All areas do not need a daily clean, but appropriate sections should be wiped down as part of daily cleaning, and all areas should be appropriately cleaned.
Floors and floor/wall junctions clean - The floor should be cleaned to an appropriate level, including under equipment. Use of swivel headed mops and desk scrubbers should help, but equipment must be pulled out where possible on at least a weekly basis for cleaning. The junctions of the wall/floor junctions should be kept suitably clean, as these are areas dirt of then builds up. If this area is damaged, there should be evidence it has been reported to property for repair.
Freezers / fridges clean - All areas of refrigeration equipment should be clean, with no evidence of spillages. Dust should be cleaned form any vents or heat exchangers.
Freezers and fridges defrosted - There should be no excessive build-up of ice. Where blower units are dripping ice or water, this should be reported to property for action.
Ovens/microwaves clean - The inside of microwaves must be kept clean, along with all hand contact surfaces. Any rear vents should also be kept free of dust.
Refuse areas clean - The external and internal bin areas must be kept in a clean and hygienic condition. Refuse must be bagged in the bins, bottom bin seals must be in place and the bin lids should be kept closed.
Sinks/wash hand basins clean - The sink and wash hand basin must be kept hygienically clean.
Dishwasher clean - The inside of the dishwasher must by hygienically clean, with evidence it is properly drained and cleaned at the end of each day.
Cleanliness of cellar - The cellar should be cleaned to an appropriate level. There should be limited evidence of any spillages, and indication that it is 'pulled out' and cleaned down on a regular basis.
Ice machine clean - The ice machine should be hygienically cleaned, with no evidence internally of mould or scale build-up.
Manager understands or can locate the policy relating to "cleaning up bodily fluids" - Manager is aware of & understands the policy & has the correct PPE to comply

Confidence in Management

Can kitchen team state at what temperature a chilled and frozen delivery should be rejected? - Chilled delivery should be rejected if it is above 8°C, frozen if above -12°C
Can kitchen team state at what temperature food should be reheated to? - Food should be re heated to 75°C for 30 Seconds / 82°C in Scotland. There may be lower temperatures for specialist re-heating.
Can kitchen team state what actions should be taken in the event of a freezer breakdown? - If freezer is running above -12°C, physically check that food is still frozen. If it is, transfer to another freezer. If defrost has commenced, probe food and if below 8°C, transfer to fridge and apply day dot. Do not refreeze defrosted food. If food temperature has risen above 8°C, discard it.
Do kitchen team know where to find corrective actions if a critical control is not achieved? - These are all included in the HACCP sheets which are in the wall mounted tarifold.
Can you tell me the maximum time allowed for a chilled / frozen delivery to be put away? - Refrigerate chilled and frozen food as soon as possible following delivery, with a target of no more than 45 mins outside of the chill chain.
For how long should a member of staff suffering from sickness and diarrhoea be excluded from work ? - Staff must be excluded from the business until they are clear of symptoms for at least 48 hours
Are all temp. records well organised & readily accessible in one place e.g. Safe to Trade folder? - For Horse sites most temperatures are recorded in the 'Standards' diary, with a supplemental probe calibration sheet. For other sites the paperwork will be stored in a 'Safe to Trade' folder or similar. The current weeks sheets may be kept separately on clipboards etc.
Do staff know correct dosing of sanitizer from wall mounted dispenser into trigger bottles - 1 pump of concentrated sanitizer into a trigger bottle & then filled with water will give correct dilution for 30 second contact time (n/a selected if wall mounted pumps not used)
General manager must have signed off each weeks kitchen paperwork, and comment on the paperwork about issues and actions taken. This should be reflected in the 'Safe & Legal' declaration (Question 18). - The manager must sign off the paperwork and comment on any issues identified, also recording what is to be done to rectify the issue. Where there genuinely are no issues, then as a minimum, a positive comment should be recorded. The only instance the GM does not do this check is when they are on holiday. Where there are issues, this must be reflected in the 'Safe & Legal' kitchen declaration, Question 18.

NSF Food Safety Audit

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Handwashing.

Cross Contamination

Practices

Paperwork Completion / Training

Structure

Cleaning

Confidence in Management

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NSF Food Safety Audit

Free NSF Food Safety Audit Checklist

Go digital today!

Convert your paper checklists into digital forms

Handwashing.

Cross Contamination

Practices

Paperwork Completion / Training

Structure

Cleaning

Confidence in Management

Related checklists