Sections 11.1 and 11.2 Inwards Goods Receiving and Returns

Sections 11.1 & 11.2 of the Food Safety program explain the importance and the operational procedures for the correct Receival and Dispatch of goods into and from Drakes Supermarkets.

Receival

All food that is received into the store is checked.
Follow these steps to ensure that food is handled properly when its delivered:

• There is a team member present to receive the food.
• High Risk foods are kept at the correct temperature on delivery.
• Frozen foods should be solid.
• Packaging in good condition with no damage.
• All products received should be within their best before or use by date.
• Labels on food should be accurate, with the manufacturers name and address visible, as well as the batch or date codes.
• Food should be free from foreign objects.
• The delivery vehicle that used to transport food should not have any evidence of carrying chemicals.
• The condition of the truck and the delivery person should be clean.

Food must be delivered in vehicles that are specifically designed for the purpose of transporting food. These vehicles should be clean, and if they are carrying perishable foods, must be refrigerated to keep the products within the correct temperature range.

When inspecting incoming food, check for:

• Unusual appearance or smell
• Variation in colour, texture, odour, or general appearance
• Signs of thawing in food – frozen food must be delivered frozen.
• Signs of pest infestation or activity
• Damage to the packaging
• Deliveries must be from approved suppliers.

Section 11.1 The Dock

The purpose of this section is to ensure that any team member receiving inwards goods or returns are trained in the correct procedure and are authorised to complete the necessary documentation.

Purpose

To ensure only authorised personnel sign for inwards goods delivered. This procedure is OPTIONAL and is generally used by larger stores with departmentalised staff.

Responsibility

The Store Manager or Owner is responsible for the authorised personnel list to be updated as required.

Detailed Instruction

Store Manager or Owner will review all staff members who have been nominated to receive inwards goods or returns as required.
Each nominated staff member must be adequately trained and copied on the correct receiving procedure by an authorised staff member.

Section 11.2 Dock: Inwards Goods Checking & Receiving

The purpose of this section is to ensure all goods that are accepted into the store have been ordered and conform to minimum quality standards.

The store person or any authorised personnel receives and unloads deliveries and checks the quality of incoming stock before delivery is accepted. Department Managers or delegates must be available if there is any concern regarding the quality of the delivery.

Planning prior to receiving

Dock personnel have the necessary paperwork ready to record the day’s delivery activities on Form 41 Inwards Product Receival Record.
All necessary equipment is available to unload and store the delivery e.g. carcass hooks for meat, forklift, hoist, etc.

Vehicle & Load Checks – Prior to Unloading

Inform the relevant Department Manager, if necessary, when a delivery arrives to confirm if the order is expected and allow Departmental inspection of any special delivery.

Check the vehicle interior for evidence of:

• Pest activity i.e. droppings, cockroaches.
• Foreign Odours
• Dangerous goods i.e. fuel, or Chemicals (such as soaps, pesticides etc.) stored separately and not leaking,
• Foreign matter i.e. pieces of glass, metal shavings, dirt etc.
• NOTE: The above should be a quick visual check prior to and after unloading.

Vehicle & Load Defects – Corrective Actions

If evidence of the any of the above is found, then the delivery is not to be unloaded. The relevant Manager should be informed to make a decision if unsure.

Rejections should be based on whether accepting the stock would pose a food safety / unacceptable quality risk, or if the stock might create a hygiene / infestation risk in the store.

Do not accept any food products exposed to conditions that will put them at risk.

The relevant Manager must sign the delivery docket stating the reason for rejection.

The vehicle is then allowed to leave if the stock is rejected and the receiver records all the details of the rejection on the relevant form. This is recorded on Form 41 and a Non-conformance Letter (Form 42) is given to the delivery driver, ensuring a copy is kept for store records. Ensure rejected stock is marked appropriately.

Load Checks after Unloading

If the above checks are passed, then the delivery may be unloaded subject to quality checks on the load. Prior to that the following administrative checks are completed.

Check the delivery docket to ensure all details are correct and cross check the order detail with the actual delivery.

Check all carcass weights against the invoice. Any other random weight goods, i.e. Bulk Frankfurters etc., must be spot-checked and counted against the delivery docket/invoice item by item. Do not simply perform a case count.

Product Quality Checks

Each case or pallet is checked for:

• Physical damage i.e. holes, crushing, unsealed, ripped containers, broken glass etc.
• Evidence of foreign matter or odour i.e. dirt, excessive dust, glass, spoilage odours etc.
• Date codes by ensuring goods with adequate shelf life have been delivered. This is checked off against a Direct Deliveries List (attached) of minimum shelf life at receipt for perishable stock. For products not on this list simply checking for evidence of a code is sufficient. Metcash Distribution deliveries may be checked off within 24 hours against a standard National Acceptance Dates List. Non-food items need not be checked for date codes.
• Product surface temperature for refrigerated foods, where the product is checked by using a calibrated thermometer to ensure temperatures are at or below 5°Cfor perishable foods, -15°C for frozen foods and -18°C for Ice-Creams and show no evidence of thawing.
• Refrigerated stock is accepted and placed in freezer or coolroom storage within 20 minutes of delivery. No such stock is to be left unsupervised at the dock or between breaks.

Load Quality Defects – Corrective Actions

In the event of a quality problem, the following action is taken:

• Physical damage: Each damaged container/carton is not accepted and returned to the supplier. Remainder of delivery may be accepted.
• Evidence of foreign matter or odours: Part, or even the entire delivery, may not accepted and returned to supplier, to the discretion of the Manager.
• Insufficient shelf life: Delivery will not be accepted.
• Product temperature: Open at least 2 random cartons and check the temperature of the goods using a calibrated thermometer. The following “no go” limits apply:
  1. If frozen goods are above -12°C or indicates any evidence of thawing,then the delivery is rejected.
  2. For ice-creams, any delivery above -15°Cmust be rejected.
  3. If chilled goods are above 7°C,then the delivery is rejected.
  4. For frozen deliveries between -12°C and -15°C and chilled deliveries between 5°C and 7°C the relevant Manager is
     immediately informed and a secondary check using a calibrated probe thermometer is performed to confirm the surface temperature readings.

Probe checks showing:

1. Lower temperatures than surface temperature readings indicate poor truck storage conditions. These may be accepted but the supplier is to be informed promptly.
2. Higher temperatures than surface temperature readings indicate storage abuse at the supplier. These products are to be rejected.
   This is to be recorded on Form 41 and a Non-conformance Letter (Form 42) is given to the delivery driver, ensuring a copy is kept for store records. Ensure rejected stock is marked appropriately.

If the temperatures are near the limits and the delivery is accepted, then it is placed in correct cold storage for a minimum of 2 hours to cool the product down as quickly as possible, prior to any further handling or moving onto refrigerated display.

NOTE: The above procedure is the most critical of all activities performed at Inwards Goods and takes preference over general grocery deliveries.

In the event of problems with conformance to delivery temperatures, store personnel must act as quickly as possible to ensure that a delivery is either rejected or, if accepted, placed in cool storage to re-attain acceptable product temperature.

We will not accept the responsibility for products that have been poorly treated as they will place our customers and our jobs at risk.
In all instances, rejections must be communicated to the relevant Manager, who must sign the relevant paperwork, stating the reason for rejection, identifying what is returned.

Results of all vehicle, product and temperature checks are recorded on the Inwards Product receival Record (Form 41) and signed by the Receiver or the relevant Manager. Each Department should have their own Receival documents at the back dock.

Accepting a Delivery

Ensure the correct copy of the delivery docket/invoice is retained and attached to form 41.

Ensure all the relevant delivery details are recorded on the Product Receival Record (Form 41).

Stock returns/ Discrepancy Claims

Stock returns are initiated by the relevant Managers or Sales Representatives only.

Inwards Goods personnel are advised of the product, code and quantity and record this information in detail in the relevant stock returns/ credit forms.

Inwards Goods keep a record of all stock to be returned at any one time, and the stock is kept in a designated quarantine area until a delivery from the same company is made, where it is then loaded on the delivery vehicle.

Once picked up, the stock returns form copy is attached to the batch header and sent to the administration office at the end of the day.

Discrepancy Claims

Discrepancies or shortages in invoiced deliveries are recorded on the relevant credit Claim Form by receiving personnel.

Adding extra stock to the delivery docket is never accepted.