Food Manufacturer Inspection Checklist for Austin

What Austin Inspectors Look For During Food Manufacturer Inspections

Austin HHSD inspectors evaluate food manufacturing facilities against Texas Food Rules (specifically 25 TAC §229.1 and beyond) and FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements. Key focus areas include: temperature control for potentially hazardous foods, sanitation and cleaning logs, pest control evidence, employee hygiene practices, and proper labeling with allergen declarations. Inspectors also verify that Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans are documented and that critical control points (CCPs) like cooking temperatures and cooling procedures are monitored daily. Documentation of supplier verification, traceability records, and recall procedures are also scrutinized to ensure your facility can trace product lineage in under 4 hours if a recall is necessary.

Common Food Manufacturing Violations in Austin

The most frequent violations Austin inspectors cite include inadequate temperature monitoring (foods held outside safe zones of 41°F or below / 135°F or above), missing or incomplete sanitation records, and cross-contamination risks from raw to ready-to-eat product flows. Allergen mismanagement—such as unlabeled equipment shared between allergen-free and allergen-containing production lines—is a serious violation that can trigger FDA enforcement action. Pest control gaps, including evidence of rodent droppings or insect activity, water intrusion, and improper employee handwashing stations also lead to citations. Additionally, failure to maintain pest control contracts, missing employee training documentation, and inadequate product traceability records are common deficiencies. Austin inspectors expect written procedures for cleaning, sanitizing, and maintaining equipment; absence of these protocols results in observations that can escalate if not corrected.

Daily and Weekly Self-Inspection Tasks

Establish a daily log to record temperature checks of refrigeration units (at opening and closing), documented evidence of handwashing compliance, and visual inspections for pests or water damage. Assign staff to verify that all equipment used for allergen-containing products is cleaned before use with non-allergen products, or that dedicated equipment exists. Weekly tasks should include reviewing the previous week's temperature logs for any excursions, conducting a walk-through sanitation inspection (checking corners, under equipment, and storage areas), verifying that pest control traps are empty and devices are functioning, and spot-checking employee training records for currency. Monthly, conduct a deeper review of your HACCP plan execution, verify that your supplier documentation is current, and test-run your product traceability system by selecting a finished product and confirming you can trace its raw materials back to source in under 4 hours. Document all self-inspections in writing so you have evidence of due diligence if violations arise.

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