--- title: "Sandwich Shop Receiving Checklist" canonical: "https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/sandwich-shop-receiving-checklist/" --- > Source: https://peakscaleops.com/checklists/sandwich-shop-receiving-checklist/ [Checklists](/checklists/) / [Sandwich Shop & Deli](/checklists/sandwiches-delis/) / Goods-In & Receiving # Sandwich Shop & Deli Goods-In Checklist A Sandwich Shop & Deli goods-in checklist has four jobs at the door: **probe every chilled delivery, reject short-dated ready-to-eat meats, count what arrived against what you ordered, and date every case before it goes away**. These 7 checks cover all four, and each is tied to published data - FDA found 52.2% of deli departments out of compliance on date marking, and CDC found 1 in 10 delis storing raw meat above ready-to-eat food. Stock accepted badly is waste and risk you have already paid for. [Run this checklist - free](/run/sandwiches-delis/?list=goods-in) [Download PDF](/checklists/pdf/peakscale-sandwiches-delis-checklists.pdf)[Download Excel](/checklists/excel/peakscale-sandwiches-delis-checklists.xlsx) The checklist · 7 checks ### Accept only stock that stays safe and sells **1\. Check the temperature of every chilled delivery at the door (0–5°C / 32–41°F). Reject anything above 8°C (46°F)** Warm ready-to-eat (RTE) meat arrives with its shelf life already used up. Listeria grows about twice as fast at 8°C (46°F) as it does at 4°C (39°F). **2\. Reject ready-to-eat meats, cheeses and pre-packed sandwiches that have fewer days left than your minimum days-to-expiry** The 7-day hold clock starts the day you open the pack. Stock that arrives with only two days left is waste you have already paid for. **3\. Count and weigh what was delivered against the order. Record every difference so you can get credit** Too little of your bestselling ham means a midday sell-out. Too much means extra loss you carry until the end of the week. **4\. Check vacuum-sealed packs, modified-atmosphere packs and printed date codes on every case** A broken seal or split pack counts as an open pack. It loses its printed shelf life the moment it comes off the van. ### Put it away so it rotates itself **5\. Label every case when it arrives with the date it was received and the manufacturer's use-by date** You cannot rotate stock that was never dated. More than half of delis inspected get date marking wrong. **6\. Store raw meat and poultry BELOW ready-to-eat meats, cheeses and salads, and keep them separate** 1 in 10 delis stores raw meat above ready-to-eat food. One drip can contaminate every sandwich made from that shelf. **7\. Put new stock behind old stock on every shelf, in the walk-in fridge, and in every prep-well backup** Two minutes of putting the oldest stock first (FIFO) when it arrives costs less than a list of discards on Friday. ## Frequently asked questions **What temperature should a chilled deli delivery arrive at?** 0–5°C (32–41°F), and refuse anything above 8°C (46°F). Temperature is the most-failed control in this segment: FDA's deli-department study found 91.2% of 397 data collections out of compliance for improper holding time and temperature, with 70.0% failing specifically on 'foods requiring refrigeration are held at the proper temperature'. Warm arrival also eats shelf life - Listeria monocytogenes grew about twice as fast at 8°C (46°F) as at 4°C (39°F) in a model food system, 0.06 versus 0.03 per hour. **Can you reject a deli delivery for being short-dated?** Yes, and you should set a minimum days-to-expiry in writing so staff do not have to argue it at the door. Opened ready-to-eat product carries a hard 7-day maximum at 5°C (41°F) or below under FDA Food Code 3-501.17, a limit written specifically to control Listeria monocytogenes growth, so a case landing with two days left is waste you have already bought. Date marking is also the second most-failed control in delis, at 52.2% of departments out of compliance. **Where should raw meat be stored in a deli fridge?** Below and physically separated from ready-to-eat meats, cheeses and salads. CDC's EHS-Net deli work found 1 in 4 delis did not store raw meat in separate containers, 1 in 10 delis with a cold storage unit stored raw meat above ready-to-eat food, and 1 in 10 had potential cross-contamination during preparation. By contrast, bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food was only 5.5% out of compliance in FDA's deli study - storage layout is the weaker link, not glove discipline. ## More Sandwich Shop & Deli checklists [Opening & Cold Line Set-Up](/checklists/sandwich-shop-opening-checklist/)[Slicer, Boards & Cross-Contact](/checklists/deli-slicer-cleaning-checklist/)[Date Marking, Rotation & Shelf Life](/checklists/deli-date-marking-checklist/)[Time-of-Day Production & Grab-and-Go](/checklists/sandwich-prep-production-checklist/)[Closing, Waste & Overnight Cold Chain](/checklists/sandwich-shop-closing-checklist/)[Weekly Checks](/checklists/sandwich-shop-weekly-checklist/) One free app has all of them: [open the Sandwich Shop & Deli Checklists app](/run/sandwiches-delis/) - offline, no account, add it to your home screen. ## Sources Every statistic on this page comes from public inspection and food-safety data: - [FDA Retail Delis 2015–2016](https://www.fda.gov/media/148247/download?attachment) - [CDC EHS-Net, Retail Delis practice summaries](https://www.cdc.gov/restaurant-food-safety/php/practices/retail-delis.html) - [CIDRAP report on FDA risk factor study](https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/foodborne-disease/disease-hazards-common-food-operations-fda-says) - [FDA Trend Analysis Report](https://www.fda.gov/media/157225/download) - [FDA Food Code 3-501.17, Date Marking](https://www.fda.gov/media/127796/download) - [CDC MMWR, Retail Deli Slicer Cleaning Frequency](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6512a2.htm) - [FDA/FSIS Comparative Risk Assessment, Lm in RTE Deli Meats](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/2020-07/Comparative_RA_Lm_Exec_Summ_May2010.pdf) - [FSAI, Microbiological Safety of Pre-Packaged Sandwiches](https://www.fsai.ie/getmedia/efcf5ec9-2b81-45dc-835c-7a28a2887f16/prepackaged_sandwiches.aspx?ext=.pdf) - [Champions 12.3, The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Restaurants](https://champions123.org/publication/business-case-reducing-food-loss-and-waste-restaurants) - [ReFED Fact Sheet: Food Waste by Sector - Retail](https://refed.org/uploads/by-sector-retail.pdf) - [Harrison, Peters & Fielding, J Appl Microbiol 2000](https://agris.fao.org/search/en/records/65dfa7130f3e94b9e5daeb5e) - [Purdue University release on Simmons/Oliver retail deli Listeria studies](https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/archive/releases/2015/Q1/study-listeria-pathogen-is-prevalent,-persistent-in-retail-delis.html) - [Chilled Food Association, The 10 Day Rule for Shelf Life](https://www.chilledfood.org/the-10-day-rule-for-shelf-life/) - [CDC Vital Signs: Preventing Norovirus Outbreaks](https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/norovirus/) - [Hong Kong CFS, Microbiological Quality of Higher Risk Buns and Sandwiches](https://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fm_01_18.html) - [EFSA/ECDC EU One Health 2024 Zoonoses Report](https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/plain-language-summary/european-union-one-health-2024-zoonoses-report) - [Bartsch et al., Public Health Reports 2018, via Johns Hopkins BSPH](https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2018/a-foodborne-illness-outbreak-could-cost-a-restaurant-millions-study-suggests) - [IGA, 4 Ways To Reduce Deli Shrink](https://www.iga.com/insights/4-ways-to-reduce-deli-shrink)