8 min readPathway sheetOften a 5- or 10-mark answer

Receiving: functions, process, standard practice and inspection

Receiving checks that what arrives matches the purchase order, specification and invoice in quantity, quality and price, before the goods are accepted and stored.

FunctionCheck quantity, quality and price of goods delivered

MethodsInvoice receiving and blind receiving

RecordsReceiving register (daily receiving report), credit memo for rejected goods

Delivery temperaturesChilled foods 5°C or below; frozen foods hard-frozen at −18°C or below

Functions of receiving

Check quantity: count, weigh or measure each item against the purchase order.
Check quality: against the written specification.
Check price: the invoice matches the agreed price.
Accept or reject goods; record shortages and rejections.
Move goods promptly to the right storage to prevent spoilage and pilferage.
Keep records for stores and accounts.

Receiving process and procedure

1
Prepare: keep the purchase order copy, specifications, accurate scales, a probe thermometer and trolleys ready; schedule deliveries at quiet hours.
2
Check the goods against the purchase order: right items, right quantity.
3★
Inspect quality: open sample cartons; check temperature, colour, smell, texture, dates and packing.
4
Check the invoice against the purchase order and the actual weight or count.
5
Accept or reject; record rejected or short items on a credit memo signed by the delivery person.
6
Tag or date-mark the goods (date received, price) so stock can be used first in, first out.
7
Move goods to storage at once: frozen first, then chilled, then dry goods.
8
Enter the delivery in the receiving register and send the papers to accounts.

★ one-way, controls the pace

Invoice receiving vs blind receiving

Invoice receivingThe clerk checks the goods against the supplier's invoice and the purchase order. Quick, but a careless clerk may tick the bill without really counting.

Blind receivingThe clerk gets a list of items without quantities or prices, so must count and weigh everything and record what arrived; this is then matched with the invoice. Accurate, but slower and needs more staff time.

Inspecting food supplies at delivery

Item	Accept	Reject
Frozen foods	Hard frozen at −18°C or below; packs intact	Soft or thawed; large ice crystals or water stains showing thawing and refreezing
Chilled meat, poultry, fish	At 5°C or below (fish on plenty of ice); right colour; firm; fresh smell	Warm, slimy, discoloured, off-smell
Milk and dairy	Sealed, cold, within date	Leaking, swollen or warm packs; out of date
Eggs	Clean, uncracked, uniform size	Cracked or dirty eggs
Canned foods	Intact cans with clear labels	Swollen, leaking, rusted cans or cans dented at the seam
Dry goods	Dry, clean, sealed sacks; no insects	Damp, torn, insect-infested or musty sacks
Fruits and vegetables	Fresh, firm, correct ripeness and size	Wilted, bruised or rotten produce; wet crates

Standard receiving practices

A clean, well-lit receiving area near the store, with a platform, scales and a thermometer.
Fixed delivery hours, away from peak cooking and service times.
One trained person responsible; the person who orders should not be the person who receives.
Weigh goods without packing: deduct ice, crates and sacks.
Check the supplier's vehicle is clean, and refrigerated for perishables.
Never leave deliveries unattended or on the floor.

In food service

In a hospital kitchen, rejecting a warm consignment of chicken or swollen cans at the receiving bay protects patients, who fall ill from contaminated food more easily than healthy people.

Exam angle

2 marks: “What is blind receiving?” A method in which the receiving clerk gets a list of items without quantities or prices and must count and weigh everything before matching it with the invoice.

5 marks: “What are the functions of receiving?” Check quantity, quality and price against the purchase order, specification and invoice; accept or reject; move goods quickly to storage; keep records.

10 marks: “Explain the receiving process and the standard practices for receiving and inspecting food supplies.” Functions; flow of the receiving procedure; invoice vs blind receiving; an accept/reject table; standard receiving practices.

Remember it

Receive with QQP-TT: check Quantity, Quality and Price; then Tag and Transfer to storage, frozen first.