Food Temperature Records

Food Temperature Records in Forkto lets you track the temperature of food items through each stage of preparation — cooking, cooling, reheating, hot-holding, and cold serving. This helps you demonstrate compliance with food safety regulations and maintain a clear audit trail.

Overview

When you open the Food Temperature Records page, you’ll see:

• Quick action cards across the top — one for each stage: Cook, Cooling, Reheat, Hothold, and Cold Serve. Each card shows how many records have been logged today, and if your location has daily requirements set, it shows your progress (e.g., “3 / 5 logged”).
• In Progress items — food records that are still being tracked (e.g., an item that’s been cooked but is now cooling).
• Completed items — food records that have been finished. You can show or hide this section using the toggle.
• Food Record Logs table — a detailed table of all logged temperature entries, with columns for Action, Food Item, Temperature, Date, Time, and Created By.

Creating a Food Record

To start tracking a food item:

1. Click one of the quick action cards at the top (e.g., Cook).
2. A form will appear. Fill in:
   • Food Item — the name of the food (e.g., Chicken Stew, Beef Lasagne). Previously used names will be suggested as you type.
   • Action — pre-selected based on the card you clicked, but you can change it.
   • Temperature — the internal temperature reading.
   • Notes (optional) — any additional details or corrective actions.
3. Click ‘Create Food Log’ to save.

This creates a food record card in the In Progress section. You can then continue adding temperature logs to it as the item moves through preparation stages.

Working with Food Record Cards

Each food record card shows:

• The food item name and its current status (In Progress, Complete, or Archived)
• Who created it and when
• Any notes attached to the record
• A timeline of temperature logs — each entry shows the action taken, the temperature recorded, and the time

Adding More Logs

As a food item moves through stages, you can add more temperature entries:

1. On the card, click ‘Add a Log’.
2. Select the action (e.g., Reheat, Hothold, Cold Serve, or Start Cooling).
3. Enter the temperature.
4. Click ‘Create Log’.

Cooling an Item

Cooling has a two-step process:

1. When you select Start Cooling, the card begins tracking the cooling duration with a timer.
2. When cooling is finished, click ‘End Cooling’ on the card and enter the final temperature.

The card will show how long the item was cooling (e.g., “Cooled for 1h 30m”).

Finishing a Record

When the item is ready to serve or has completed its preparation:

• Click ‘Finish / Serve’ on the card.
• The record moves from In Progress to Completed.

Temperature Validation

If your location has temperature targets configured (set by an admin in Location Settings):

• Cooking — when you log a cook temperature, the form will show the required minimum. If the temperature is below this, a warning is displayed.
• Hot-holding — same as cooking, with a minimum hot-hold temperature check.

These warnings help you spot when food hasn’t reached a safe temperature.

Viewing Food Record Logs

The Food Record Logs table at the bottom of the page shows all individual temperature entries across all food records.

• Use the time range filter to view logs from the last 7, 14, 30, or 90 days (defaults to 7 days).
• Use the search and sort options to find specific entries.
• Click Export CSV to download the data for compliance records or audits.

Archiving Food Records

Food temperature records cannot be deleted — this is by design for food safety compliance. If a mistake is made:

• Log a new record with the correct information.
• Add a note in the Notes field of both the incorrect and correct records to explain the discrepancy.

To hide a completed record from your main view:

1. On the food record card, click the options menu at the top right.
2. Select ‘Delete’ — this archives the record rather than permanently removing it.

To view archived records:

• Use the Show Archived toggle in the filters to reveal archived items.

Auditor Access

If your account has the Auditor role, you can view all food temperature records and logs, but you cannot create new records, add logs, or modify existing records. Auditors have read-only access to ensure the integrity of food safety records.

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Logging temperatures at every stage of food preparation is essential for food safety compliance. Use Food Temperature Records in Forkto to maintain a complete, auditable trail from cooking through to serving.