6- Verification

Background: Corrective Actions, Verification, and Documentation in your Food Handler Certificate course covers the theory. This lesson shows you how to apply it to your own Food Safety Plan.

Objective: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to check that your Food Safety Plan is being followed and actually works. You will be able to:

• Explain the difference between monitoring and verification.
• Plan regular verification activities.
• Know when to review the whole plan.

Monitoring vs. verification

Monitoring is the cook checking the temperature. Verification is the chef or manager checking that the monitoring was done, done correctly, and that the plan is working.

Verification activities

• Review and sign the logs every day or every week.
• Watch a cook take a temperature and check the technique.
• Calibrate thermometers and check the calibration record.
• Check that corrective actions were taken and recorded.
• Review customer complaints and inspection reports.
• Where appropriate, send samples for laboratory testing.

Review the whole plan

Review the full plan at least once a year, and every time something changes: a new menu item, a new supplier, new equipment, a new process (sous-vide, curing, fermenting), a complaint or an illness. Date and sign every review.