Receipt is the point in the cold chain where responsibility often changes hands. At that point Codex asks for the product temperature to be measured and for the record to be kept longer than the shelf life, so the measurement and rejection terms belong in the order conditions before the goods arrive.
For frozen product Codex (CAC/RCP 8-1976, 2008 revision) recommends a stepwise order. For chilled product the threshold is the temperature in the order terms and on the label.
- Visual check: damage and signs of thawing.
- Vehicle air-temperature record and documents: if the loading temperature was right and the system worked properly, the check ends here.
- If there is no record or any doubt, a non-destructive reading between packs; a total tolerance of 2.8 °C applies.
- If the tolerance is exceeded, a destructive measurement once the load is in a cold environment; the 2.8 °C tolerance does not apply to it.
If the limit is exceeded, mark and set aside the load or the affected part at once, stop its sale and inform the supplier. Put in the contract the temperature above which a load is rejected, how many points are measured and which measurement decides in a dispute.
For every batch the form takes the time, batch, vehicle record, reading, packaging condition and the name of the person who measured; a rejected batch also gets photographs. The contract determines when legal responsibility passes.
