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Hospitality·5 min read

HACCP Daily Checklist for Restaurants: Critical Control Points

A practical HACCP inspection checklist for restaurant managers. Covers critical control points, food temperature logs, and sanitation records required by EU Regulation 852/2004.

What Is HACCP and Why Does It Matter for Your Restaurant?

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is the food safety management system required under EU Regulation (EC) 852/2004. For restaurant operators, it translates into a set of daily records that prove hazards are being monitored and controlled. Without documented evidence, you have no defence during a sanitary inspection — regardless of how clean your kitchen actually is.

Daily HACCP Checklist: Critical Control Points

A restaurant's daily HACCP log should cover at minimum:

  • Receiving: temperature check on all refrigerated and frozen deliveries (max 5 °C chilled / -18 °C frozen), supplier documentation review, visible damage assessment
  • Cold storage: refrigerator and freezer temperature logs at opening, midday, and closing; door seal condition; no cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat products
  • Cooking CCP: core temperature verification for all high-risk items (poultry ≥75 °C, minced meat ≥70 °C), probe calibration record
  • Hot holding: temperature check every 2 hours (minimum 63 °C), time records for products held over 2 hours
  • Cooling: time-temperature log for batch cooling (target: from 60 °C to 10 °C within 2 hours)
  • Personal hygiene: hand hygiene verification at shift start and after any contamination risk, illness declaration by staff
  • Cleaning and disinfection: completion sign-off for each cleaning task on the schedule
  • Pest control: visual check of traps and entry points; any findings documented with photo evidence

    • How Digital Inspection Tools Simplify HACCP Compliance

    Paper HACCP logs are completed, misplaced, or left blank under time pressure. A digital inspection platform allows kitchen staff to log temperature readings directly from a mobile device, attach photo evidence for deviations, and generate a time-stamped PDF record automatically. When an inspector arrives, all documentation is retrievable in seconds.

    Next Steps

  • Map all critical control points specific to your menu and kitchen layout
  • Define corrective actions for each CCP in advance (what to do when a temperature is out of range)
  • Assign a designated person responsible for daily log completion and weekly review
  • Move from paper logs to a digital checklist to eliminate missing records and reduce audit preparation time

    • Ready to digitize your inspections?

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