Checklist template

Cold chain and cooler audit for beverage and dairy brands

A ready-to-use checklist with 113 items in 6 sections, covering Temperature, Cleanliness, Brand purity, Stock, Placement, Maintenance. Use it as-is in Bindy, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 113 Items
  • 88 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 118 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Temperature 21 items

  1. Asset tag number of the cooler audited Short text
  2. Type of cold equipment audited Choice
    • Brand-supplied glass-door cooler
    • Open-front cold display
    • Retailer's dairy or beverage case
    • Countertop or checkout cooler
  3. Air temperature shown on the cooler's display or thermometer (°F or °C) Number
  4. Product temperature measured with the auditor's probe between two packages (°F or °C) Number
  5. The cooler has a working thermometer or digital display that the store staff can read Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The reading on the cooler's display is within 2°F (1°C) of the auditor's thermometer Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Dairy and other perishable product is held at 41°F (5°C) or below Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Beverages are held inside the serving temperature range set by the brand Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Product at the front of the top shelf is as cold as product at the back of the bottom shelf, within 4°F (2°C) Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The thermostat is set to the position given in the brand's equipment guide Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The cooler is switched on around the clock, with no timer or night shut-off on perishable product Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Product is loaded below the load line marked in open-front displays Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Air vents inside the cabinet are not blocked by product or signs Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Doors close on their own from a half-open position Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Night blinds on open-front displays are pulled down when the store is closed Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The store records the temperature of cases holding dairy at least once a day Yes / No 1 pt
  17. The store's temperature log for the last 7 days shows no reading above the limit without a recorded action Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Chilled deliveries are moved from the receiving door to refrigeration within the time set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Product waiting to be stocked is not left on a cart in the aisle at room temperature Yes / No 1 pt
  20. No package shows signs of temperature abuse (swollen cartons, separated product, frozen and burst containers) Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Temperature performance of the equipment Rating
    • In range at every point measured 5 pts
    • In range on average with one warm spot 3 pts
    • Out of range 1 pt

2. Cleanliness 18 items

  1. Shelves under dairy products are free of spilled milk, yogurt or dried residue Yes / No 1 pt
  2. No curdled or sour product residue is visible under the bottom shelf or the deck pans Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The underside of each shelf above dairy products is free of drips Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The honeycomb air discharge at the top of open-front displays is free of dust and lint Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The return air grille at the front of open-front displays is free of labels, caps and debris Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Tracks of sliding doors are free of spilled product and debris Yes / No 1 pt
  7. No mold is visible on the back wall, the shelf supports or the door gaskets Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Glide racks or gravity-feed trays are free of sticky build-up that stops product sliding Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Leaking packages have been removed and the shelf beneath them cleaned Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Milk crates and dollies used in the case are free of dried milk Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Product packages are free of dust and drip marks Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Condensate does not drip from the cabinet ceiling or the coil onto product Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Fan guards visible inside the cabinet are free of dust build-up Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The lighted header or canopy is clean and free of dead insects Yes / No 1 pt
  15. A store employee states that product is moved to other refrigeration while the case is washed Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The store's cleaning record shows the case was cleaned within the frequency set by the store's program Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Date of the last full cleaning, if recorded Date
  18. Cleanliness of the cooler Rating
    • No residue, mold or dust on any surface checked 5 pts
    • Light dust or a few dried spills 3 pts
    • Mold, sour residue or grilles clogged with dirt 1 pt

3. Brand purity 16 items

  1. A copy or summary of the cooler placement agreement is available on the auditor's device or at the store Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Facings in the cooler occupied by the brand's products Number
  3. Facings in the cooler occupied by other suppliers' products Number
  4. Facings in the cooler that are empty Number
  5. No competitor's beverage or dairy product is in the cooler Yes / No 1 pt
  6. No raw meat, raw eggs or unpackaged food is kept in the same cooler as the brand's products Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Foreign product found in the brand-supplied cooler was removed by store staff during the visit Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Brand purity meets the percentage stated in the cooler placement agreement Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The employee who fills the cooler knows that only the brand's products go in it Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Reason given by the store for foreign product in the cooler Short text
  11. Foreign product was not loaded warm into the cooler in a quantity that fills a shelf Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Shelf strips show the brand's current design Yes / No 1 pt
  13. In the retailer's own case, the brand occupies the space given by the planogram Yes / No 1 pt
  14. In the retailer's own case, the brand's block is not split by another supplier's products Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Purity problems found were raised with the store manager during the visit Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Brand purity of the cooler Rating
    • 100% brand product 5 pts
    • Mostly brand, a few foreign items 3 pts
    • Less than three quarters brand product 1 pt

4. Stock 17 items

  1. Every shelf of the cooler is filled to at least three quarters of its depth Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Each of the brand's core items for this channel is present in the cooler Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Core items missing from the cooler Number
  4. Warm product is loaded behind cold product in each row Yes / No 1 pt
  5. A store employee states that the cooler is refilled at closing or in quiet hours, so that product is cold at peak times Yes / No 1 pt
  6. In glass-door coolers, no product stands in front of the shelf edge or on the door sill Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The shortest-dated product is at the front of each row Yes / No 1 pt
  8. No product past its date is in the cooler Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Units past their date removed from the cooler during the audit Number
  10. Days remaining on the shortest-dated dairy item in the cooler Number
  11. Dairy inside the pull window set by company policy has been removed from sale Yes / No 1 pt
  12. A store employee states that dairy returned by shoppers or found out of refrigeration is discarded, not put back in the case Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Backup stock for the cooler is held in refrigeration where the product requires it Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Temperature of the back-room cooler holding backup stock (°F or °C) Number
  15. Backup cases in the back-room cooler are stacked off the floor Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Dairy on hand can sell through before its date at the store's current rate of sale Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Stock level in the cooler Rating
    • Full with all core items 5 pts
    • Partly full or core items missing 3 pts
    • Largely empty 1 pt

5. Placement 18 items

  1. Location of the cooler in the store Choice
    • At or beside the checkout
    • On the main traffic path
    • In the beverage or dairy aisle
    • Back of store or out of sight
  2. The cooler stands in the location named in the placement agreement Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The cooler stands clear of heat-producing equipment such as an oven, a roller grill or a hot case Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Direct sunlight does not fall on the cooler's doors or open front at the time of the audit Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Open-front displays stand away from the drafts of the entrance doors Yes / No 1 pt
  6. No ceiling air vent or fan blows across the front of an open-front display Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Warm air from the condenser exhausts freely, not into a closed alcove or onto a neighboring cold case Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The air intake grille at the base is not covered by floor displays, mats or stacked cases Yes / No 1 pt
  9. No boxes or signs on top of the cooler cover its top vents Yes / No 1 pt
  10. A cooler placed outdoors or in an unheated vestibule is a model the equipment guide allows there Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Room temperature at the cooler's location (°F or °C) Number
  12. The room temperature is inside the operating range given in the equipment guide Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Milk and other dairy sit on the shelves the brand's guide marks as the coldest Yes / No 1 pt
  14. No overflow of the brand's chilled product is stacked at room temperature beside or on top of the cooler Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Ice tubs or barrels holding the brand's product are iced up to the shoulder of the containers Yes / No 1 pt
  16. No display, cart or stacked case holds a cooler door open Yes / No 1 pt
  17. The power cord does not cross a walkway Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Placement of the cooler for cold performance Rating
    • Clear of heat, sun and drafts, with free airflow 5 pts
    • One exposure to heat, sun or draft 3 pts
    • Several exposures or airflow blocked 1 pt

6. Maintenance 23 items

  1. The compressor runs without rattling or knocking Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The condenser coil is free of dust build-up Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The evaporator shows no ice build-up Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The condenser fan and the evaporator fan are both running Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Door gaskets seal along the full edge, with no tears or gaps Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Night blinds on open-front displays roll down over the full opening, with no tears Yes / No 1 pt
  7. No condensation runs down the outside of the doors Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The cooler's controller shows no alarm or fault code Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Store staff report no product found frozen or wet after a defrost cycle Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Refrigerant lines visible on the unit show no frost or oil stains Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Store staff report no breakdown of this cooler in the last 4 weeks Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The drain is clear, with no water pooling inside the cabinet Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Doors hang square in the frame, with no sagging hinge Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The store knows the phone number or app to call for cooler service Yes / No 1 pt
  15. A store employee could say where the product goes if the cooler fails Yes / No 1 pt
  16. No service request for this cooler has been open for longer than the time set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Date of the last service visit or preventive maintenance Date
  18. Faults found during the audit were reported as a service request before the auditor left Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Service request number, if one was opened Short text
  20. Problems noted on the previous audit have been corrected Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Name of the store manager or employee met Short text
  22. Overall condition of the cooler Rating
    • Cooling in range with no fault found 5 pts
    • Cooling in range with faults to repair 3 pts
    • Not holding temperature or out of service 1 pt
  23. Corrective actions and service needs Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the Bindy template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In Bindy you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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