Monitoring in food safety is the planned observation or measurement of a process or control to determine whether it is operating within the required limits. Monitoring may involve checking temperatures, times, pH, water activity, sanitizer concentration, equipment conditions or other defined parameters. It helps staff detect deviations early and take corrective action.
Staff may monitor refrigerator temperatures, check the internal temperature of cooked food, record cooling progress, verify sanitizer concentration or measure the pH of a controlled fermentation. Each check should follow the relevant procedure and use suitable, calibrated equipment where required.
Monitoring checks the process while it is operating. Verification confirms that the control system is being followed and works as intended. Validation provides evidence that the control measure is capable of achieving the required result. These are distinct activities in a food-safety system.
Records show what was measured, when, by whom and what action was taken if the result was outside the limit. Entries should be made at the time of the check and should reflect actual readings, not planned or estimated values.
Chef’s tip: monitoring is only useful when someone reviews the result and acts on it. Train staff to stop, report and follow the corrective-action procedure when a required limit is not met.
This term is one of hundreds covered in depth across OCS courses, learning paths, and 1-on-1 coaching with Chef Eric.
