Despite our best efforts, sometimes things in your kitchen go wrong. Your auditor recognises this, but what they really want to know is:
What did you do about it? And what steps have you taken to stop it from happening again?
When something goes wrong, you need to be able to describe/identify the issue, note who was involved, how it was fixed and what steps were taken to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Chomp makes it easy to record all of this and present to your auditor to review when required.
Tips for recording when something goes wrong:
- When completing a task in Chomp, if you have selected that there is an issue, you won't be able to save the task without providing details.
- In the details box, be sure to include:
- what the problem was
- what was done to immediately fix the problem
- what changes have been made to stop the problem from happening again
- how food was kept safe or made sure that no unsafe food was sold.
- Most tasks and events (pest control, thermometer calibration and maintenance) have a section where you can add in notes.
- You can also use Diary Notes to record when something goes wrong if the option isn't available in a task or event.
- You can monitor issues in the Management Dashboard. It's here where additional notes can be added in any of the records that indicate that something went wrong. If you notice issues happening repeatedly this could indicate a need to train staff or look if procedures need to be modified.
- The most common types of issues that kitchens experience can be recorded in Chomp and monitored in your Management Dashboard. For example:
- there was a sign of pests,
- received food was not at the correct temperature,
- poultry was not cooked to at least 65°C for 15 minutes,
- food was not reheated to above 75°C,
- food was cooled too slowly,
- food you received was at the incorrect temperature.
- Its important to document all instances when food you produced is unsafe or unsuitable. What did you do with any unsafe or unsuitable food? What did you do to ensure this doesn't happen again. Make sure this is documented in your notes.
- Either fix the problem yourself or tell the person responsible for that area about the problem. If you cannot fix it yourself, you may need to seek expert help (e.g. call pest control or an equipment maintenance service).
- Records must be kept for at least four years.
