Regulation R638 of 2018, the hygiene regulation for food premises under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, does not require a single record to be kept on paper. It requires the person in charge to keep records that show cleaning, pest control, temperature control and staff training are happening, and to produce them to an environmental health practitioner on request. Those records can live on a phone. Many small food businesses in South Africa already keep them that way, and their Certificates of Acceptability are not at risk because of it. What puts a certificate at risk is a record that does not exist or cannot be shown.
What R638 actually asks you to record
R638 is long, but its record-keeping expectations are short. The regulation requires food premises to operate under a person in charge who holds a Certificate of Acceptability from the local municipality. To keep that certificate, the premises must show on inspection that cleaning is done and documented, that pest control is in place and recorded, that food is stored and held at the right temperatures and that those temperatures are monitored, that food handlers have been trained in food hygiene and that the training is recorded, and that a food safety management programme appropriate to the business is being followed. The inspector does not prescribe the format of any of these records.
Why small businesses stay on paper
Usually for three reasons. The paper system came with the premises or with the first inspection. Staff turnover is high and a laminated sheet on the wall feels easier to train on than an app. And the owner has been told, by someone, that the municipality wants a book. The third is a myth. The second is true for a bad app and false for a good one, which is why ASCloud’s R638 plan has a four-item daily screen and nothing else for the person doing the checks. The first is just inertia, and inertia is what fails inspections, because the sheet on the wall is the one with last Tuesday blank.
The six records, moved to a phone
Here is how each R638 record works on a paperless system built for small premises.
- Cleaning. The cleaning schedule becomes a checklist by area and frequency. The cleaner ticks each item on a phone, the time is recorded, and the manager verifies at the end of the shift. A missed area shows as missed, not as a blank.
- Temperatures. Fridges, freezers, hot holding and cooking temperatures are entered on a screen that knows the limit. A reading outside the limit prompts a corrective action on the spot and alerts the manager.
- Pest control. The contractor’s visit report is uploaded or, with pest integration, lands in the system automatically. Bait station checks between visits are a checklist.
- Training. A register of every food handler with the date of hygiene training and the next refresher due. The system reminds you before it lapses, which is one of the most common gaps inspectors find.
- Supplier and receiving. Delivery temperature and condition checks, with the supplier named, so a problem can be traced back.
- Incidents and complaints. A short form that records what happened, what was done and who closed it.
What the environmental health practitioner will do on the day
On an inspection the practitioner will ask to see the Certificate of Acceptability, then walk the premises, then ask for records. Hand them the tablet or your phone with the records screen open. Show them today’s cleaning checklist, this week’s temperature log, the last pest report and the training register. Most practitioners will be pleased, because the records are legible and complete, and a few will ask how they know the entries are genuine. The answer is that each entry carries the user and the time from the system, and you can show them the history on any record. That is a better answer than any book can give.
What it costs and what you get
ASCloud’s R638 and Certificate of Acceptability plan is from R499 per site per month, with a once-off setup of R3,850 in which an ASC specialist builds your cleaning schedule, temperature points and training register from what you have today. That is less than many premises pay for printing, and it includes the alerts for missed tasks and the reminders for training renewals. If you run more than one outlet, each one is a site on the same account, and head office sees all of them on one screen.
R638 records on a phone, from R499 a month
Cleaning, temperatures, pest control and training in one place, with alerts when something is missed. Set up in five working days.
Frequently asked questions
Will my municipality accept digital records?
Yes. R638 does not specify a format and environmental health practitioners routinely review records on screen. If your local practitioner asks for a printed copy, every record can be exported in seconds.
Does it work without signal in the kitchen?
Yes. The app records offline and syncs when the phone reconnects, keeping the original time of each entry.
Can I use it for more than one shop?
Yes. Each outlet is a site on the same account. The owner or area manager sees every site’s checks and misses from one dashboard.
Do I need a computer?
No. Staff use the Android or iPhone app. The owner can use the app or a browser.