Food safety guide for restaurants
Temperature logs that hold up when the health inspector asks
What the FDA Food Code expects, what inspectors look at, and a simple shift routine that proves your kitchen is in control.
Get the temperature log kitAt a glance
- Cold holding
- 41°F (5°C) or below
- Hot holding
- 135°F (57°C) or above
- Person in charge
- Must show active managerial control
- New in 2026
- Written employee illness policy
- Free plan — no credit card needed
- Anyone can fill a checklist by scanning a QR code — no app, no login
- No per-respondent fees
- English and Spanish, fully supported
What the rule says
FDA Food Code (2026 edition)
The FDA Food Code is the model code that most state and local health departments adopt as their retail food rules. FDA released the 2026 edition on September 17, 2026. What applies to you is the version your health department has adopted, so check with them for local details.
Sources: FDA — Food Code · FDA — The FDA releases 2026 Food Code
What an inspector will ask to see
- Current cold-holding temperatures in walk-ins, reach-ins and prep rails
- Hot-holding temperatures on the line and in holding cabinets
- How you cool large batches, and how you know it worked
- Sanitizer concentration in buckets, sinks and the dish machine
- Whether employees know to report illness symptoms
- What the person in charge does when something is out of range
How to do it with checklists
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Log cold holding every shift
One QR per unit. Staff scan, enter the reading, and if it's above 41°F the checklist asks what corrective action was taken before it can be submitted.
Template: Cold-Holding Temperature Log
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Log hot holding the same way
Readings at or above 135°F pass. Anything lower triggers the follow-up question: reheat, discard, or something else.
Template: Hot-Holding Temperature Log
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Record cooling batches
Log start time and temperatures at each check so you can show the batch cooled within the time your code allows.
Template: Cooling Log
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Check sanitizer strength
Record the test-strip reading and snap a photo of the strip.
Template: Sanitizer Concentration & Temperature Log
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Collect employee illness policy acknowledgments
The 2026 Food Code adds a written employee illness policy. Have each employee acknowledge yours on hire, with a timestamped record.
Template: Employee Illness Policy Acknowledgment
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Close the loop with a daily manager check
The person in charge reviews the day's logs and signs off, so gaps get caught the same day.
Template: Person-in-Charge Daily Control Check
What your record looks like on inspection day
Example record — Walk-in cooler, Cold-Holding Log
- OKReading38°F
- OKAt or below 41°F?Yes
- IssuePrep rail #2 reading45°F · photo attached
- FixedCorrective actionMoved product to walk-in; tech called · 2:12 PM
Common questions
Are written temperature logs required?
It depends on your jurisdiction and on what you do (for example, if you use time as a public health control or specialized processes). Even where they aren't required, logs are the simplest way to show an inspector your controls work.
Does this make my restaurant compliant?
No software can do that. Checklists help your team check the same way every shift and keep dated records. Compliance is decided by your health department.
My staff speaks Spanish. Does that work?
Yes. The app and the starter templates are available in English and Spanish.
Get the temperature log kit — free
Cold- and hot-holding logs, cooling log, sanitizer log, illness policy acknowledgment and the daily manager check. Printable PDFs plus QR-ready versions.
Included templates
- Cold-Holding Temperature Log
- Hot-Holding Temperature Log
- Cooling Log
- Sanitizer Concentration & Temperature Log
- Employee Illness Policy Acknowledgment
- Person-in-Charge Daily Control Check
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