Food Safety Checklists.
Now Digital.
Food Safety Checklist
A food safety checklist is necessary to assess a food service establishment’s compliance with good hygiene practices and food safety standards. By utilizing Digital Food Safety (DFS), Jolt simplifies and streamlines food safety procedures and practices. Our compliance-boosting food safety software solution makes health inspections a piece of cake by eliminating the potential for human error and digitizing the food safety checklist process.
Importance of Food Safety
Proper food safety procedures are imperative for the prevention of foodborne illnesses and potential litigation. The CDC annually attributes 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths to food-related diseases in the United States. In 2011, the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC) — a federal collaborative effort composed of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) — was established to further improve food safety.
Following food safety procedures prevent food contamination and ensures that establishments are sanitary. The success and longevity of a food service often hinge on sanitation scores. Consistently low scores not only affect the customer base but open the business up to financial penalties and potential closure.
Purpose of Checklist
Meticulously meeting a predetermined set of food safety and hygiene guidelines is essential in certifying a food service establishment is safe in accordance with federal standards. A food safety checklist is integral in reducing health risks and keeping a record of regular food safety procedures.
Continue to keep up with food safety checklists and good hygiene practices, or level up and exceed food safety standards through digital food safety checklists.
It is important to stay up to date on industry innovations and changes in regulations. For additional helpful resources, check out the FDA’s take on digital food safety and their smarter food safety blueprint.
Compliance with food safety standards and practices is the crux of food service prosperity. Safe food, hygienic staff, and sanitized establishments lead to happy customers and long-term success.
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Try Jolt’s Digital Food Safety Checklists
Jolt’s comprehensive DFS software solution streamlines the entire food safety process through automated temperature monitoring, labeling, and logging. Accuracy and efficiency are at the core of their digital checklists.
Surpass food safety standards and join the DFS revolution by letting Jolt take you into the food safety future!
“What would you pay to have your best person in every single one of your locations all the time? That’s what you get with Jolt.”
—Sean, McDonald’s Franchisee
Try Jolt’s Digital Food Safety Checklists
Personal hygiene
With Jolt checklists, your entire team can stay up to code while promoting your brand and staying healthy.
Personal Hygiene
- The CDC reports that workers only wash their hands a shocking third of the time. Following federal hand-washing guidelines is crucial in curbing contamination cases. Supervisors should ensure every sink has clear hand washing signs posted and provide further employee training if necessary.
- Beyond brand awareness, attire is an important part of employee hygiene, and every employee should be well-versed in dress code guidelines. Designated changing areas may be required for workers who dress at work. All clothing should be clean and rip-free with hair restraints — hairnets, hats, etc. — mandatory for food handlers.
- Illnesses and injuries should be properly reported, and the afflicted employee should avoid work until they are healthy. How an illness or injury is handled by the person in charge (PIC) will vary depending on the severity of said illness or injury. Work-related hospitalizations must be reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by the employer within 24 hours, while deaths require notification within 8 hours.
Food Storage and Preparation
Jolt’s comprehensive DFS solution utilizes temperature logging and monitoring via probes and sensors to easily ensure food is in the safe zone.
Food Storage and Preparation
To avoid rapid bacterial propagation, foods should be stored and cooked at the correct temperatures. Keep refrigerators no higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit and freezers no higher than 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Meats should be cooked to their safe minimum internal temperature.
Jolt’s comprehensive DFS solution utilizes temperature logging and monitoring via probes and sensors to easily ensure food is in the safe zone.
- Prevent cross-contamination by storing raw meats separately and keeping them away from other foods during preparation. Do not allow raw meats to share surfaces with other foods.
- Following thorough cleaning and sanitizing guidelines prevents the spread of germs and food contamination. Make sure all utensils, equipment, and surfaces are regularly cleaned and sanitized.
Pest Control
Keep the pests out and your restaurant clean with Jolt’s checklists.
Pest Control
Common pests, like insects and rodents, are attracted to food, making the food service industry vulnerable to pest infestations. It is important to identify the signs of pests (e.g., excrement, nests, carcasses), familiarize yourself with hot spots, seal points of entry, and keep everything clean to avoid the spread of disease-causing bacteria and prevent future infestations.
If you discover definitive signs of a pest infestation, a qualified pest control specialist should be contacted to assess the situation and eradicate the problem. Dispose of potentially contaminated food and sanitize all areas where pests were likely located.
Equipment and facility maintenance
Maintain your equipment and reduce repairs with Jolt.
Equipment and Facility Maintenance
A regular equipment cleaning and maintenance schedule reduces the need for repairs and increases the overall functionality and longevity of the equipment. By cleaning regularly, the task requires less effort than allowing dirt and grime to build up over long or irregular cleaning intervals.
Knowing when it’s time to replace equipment versus repairing it can be tricky. With safety as a priority, it’s imperative to replace any equipment that becomes hazardous to workers. You may also want to abide by the 10-year rule — as most equipment has a lifespan of about a decade — or you may just choose to replace once repair costs surpass the cost of new equipment.
Food Purchasing and Receiving
From selecting a supplier to inspecting deliveries, Jolt makes purchasing a receiving simple.
Food Purchasing and Receiving
- Selecting a supplier is an important strategic decision in the food service industry. You want to choose a reputable vendor with an excellent track record and only approve quality products.
- Inspection of deliveries is key to food safety. Several factors to consider when receiving deliveries include delivery time, the integrity of packaging and boxes (e.g., rips, tears, condensation), and temperature.
- All food should be stored at appropriate temperatures and rotated based on the First-in, First-out (FIFO) method. Keep items with the closest expiration date in front and use them first.
Compliance and Documentation
Jolt helps organize and compile data so you can have all required documentation at the click of a button.
Compliance and Documentation
- It is vital to comply with all state and local regulations to not only ensure the safety of employees and customers but to prevent possible fines and closures.
- Proper recordkeeping and reporting are essential for tracking and providing documentation of regulatory compliance.
- Having a well-trained and certified staff offers assurance that they are knowledgeable in and comply with good hygiene and food safety practices.
An Entire Food Service Suite of Products:
Jolt Lists
With Jolt Lists, your entire team naturally does the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. Turn guesswork into great work
Jolt Sensors
Discover a remote monitoring solution that protects inventory with alerts when temperatures fall outside of a defined range
Jolt Labeling System
Streamline the label-making process by reducing the time it takes to make labels and eliminating errors.
Jolt Temperature Probes
Take and record food temperature in just seconds.
Jolt Information Library
Provide employee training and store content in one central hub.
Jolt Employee Scheduling
Scheduling your entire crew has never been easier than with Jolt’s drag and drop interface.
Jolt Time Clock
Monitor employee clock-ins and shift lengths all from home.
Jolt Communication Manager
Ensure that critical information is delivered to the right people, at the right time, in the right way.
Key Benefits from Jolt Checklists & Forms
Automation
Automate task assignment, corrective actions, and notifications for overdue and incomplete tasks.
Reporting
View real-time reports to track critical tasks and review employee, location, and brand performance.
Training
Attach training videos or documents to any task that employees can reference for on-the-spot training.