Weebus90,
Who will be inspecting and or auditing your distribution center? Who will look at your receiving records and temperature documentation? Seafood is Mandatory HACCP under FDA, therefore I'm fairly confident that minimally you will have to meet the temperature record keeping requirements of a HACCP plan. Why were USDA specifications chosen; the products you reference are FDA? Will you receive, meat, poultry, eggs?
Being that it is a distribution center will absolve you from many regulatory requirements, but not critical requirements like temperature
If you are under FDA jurisdiction then you may have to meet some requirements under the new FSMA even if only indirectly, because your customers may have to meet them and will require your participation. I believe that no facility or transport company will be exempt from the Sanitary Transport rule under FSMA.
Generally you would take temperatures of high risk products from the front, center, and rear of the trailer.
You might use a surface temperature recording device for a quick read estimate, but high risk products may require the use of a calibrated probe device for a core temperature.
Will trailers come in with data loggers to show temperature history throughout the transit?
Do you have to meet any C-TPAT criteria for your receiving records?
Does your food safety plan or HACCP plan for your distribution center have any criteria you must meet?
I have performed many audits of distribution centers, but an audit is always to one or more standards e.g., regulatory, your own food safety plan, your customer's food safety plan or some 3rd party audit. Depending on what standards you are working to, I would expect receiving records to show the following checks and records:
Allergen commingling
Chemical commingling
Odor: A characteristic odor e.g. wheat flour will smell like malt, but any off odor is a possible reason for rejection
Label checks against specification, especially for allergens
Security checks e.g. locks, seals, seal number recording, driver ID, delivery appointments are met
Rejection log
Ambient trailer temperatures
Food Temperatures
Condition of trailer: broken glass light bulbs, exposed insulation, dripping refrigeration condensate
Cleanliness of trailer
Pest Indications: black light issues, droppings
Product condition: Illegible and missing labels, damage, expired products and short-coded products
Product cleanliness: Leaks and spills, especially spills of allergenic products, foot prints on bags
Training: Proof the receivers were trained to a standard, especially if they are involved in a HACCP step.
Specifications: Proof that items are check against specifications that are
Regrads
Xylough