Free, SA-specific food safety checklist for restaurants, delis, butcheries, bakeries, and caterers. Written around the actual wording of Regulation R638 of 2018, in the order an inspector works through a premises.
Instant PDF • No credit card • Takes 30 secondsMost free checklists online are American HACCP templates. The Certificate of Acceptability inspector at your front door cares about Regulation R638 of 2018 — specific sections, specific definitions, specific wording. This checklist is built around that text.
Each section points back to the part of R638 it comes from, so you can check the wording yourself rather than take our word for it.
Written around R638 Sections 3 through 13. References SANS 10049 where applicable. Uses Certificate of Acceptability language that inspectors actually use.
Download it, use it, ignore us. There's no account, no paywall, and no obligation to buy anything afterwards.
Download it, tick what you already do, flag what you don't. Use it as your working gap analysis before your next CoA renewal.
If you work through it and get stuck, say so and we'll come back to you. Premises walk-through, written gap report, documentation, staff training, or just a straight answer on one section. Scope and cost depend on the premises, so nothing is priced here.
PPE, food-safe chemicals, pest control contracts, testing labs and insurance cover. Listed here because the checklist keeps pointing at them, not because you have to use any of them.
SABS-compliant PPE for packing and processing. Bulk pricing for teams.
View supplier →Food-area approved cleaning chemicals with dilution guides and SDS sheets.
View supplier →Monthly pest control service with reports that satisfy R638 §11 inspections.
View supplier →SANAS-accredited labs for product testing, water potability, swab testing.
View supplier →Food business insurance including public liability, product recall, and BI cover.
View supplier →SAQA-accredited food safety training for staff — in-person and online.
View supplier →For anything that needs a signature, a formal audit, or a premises outside our region, we can point you at independent SA food safety consultants (REHPs and food technologists). A referral, nothing more.
A self-paced online course covering the 11 checklist sections with video walkthroughs, templates, and a practice inspection. Join the waitlist for early-bird pricing when it launches.
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