Journals kept ‘just for show’ no longer work: 2026 requirements

In the past, a journal could be filled out hastily the hour before an inspection, and that seemed enough. In 2026, Rospotrebnadzor guidance identifies signs of falsification, making paper-only records easy to detect: identical temperatures, perfectly regular times, and no missed entries—even on weekends.

What an inspector may consider ‘made up’

• Dozens of consecutive readings at +4.0 °C with no natural variation.
• Weekend signatures when the facility was actually closed.
• Rejecting a product that was never even listed in inventory.
• Cleaning recorded at 23:00 when the facility closes at 22:00.
• A staff member assigned to a shift despite not appearing on the time sheet.

How to improve recordkeeping

1. Assign a named person to each journal rather than assigning it to a shift in general.
2. Move measurements closer to the process: use sensors in refrigerators, a timer for the fryer, and a scale at receiving.
3. Allow honest records. A temperature of +6 °C with an explanation is not by itself grounds for a penalty if the corrective action is documented.
4. Compare journals with external data: work schedules, deliveries, and cash-register records.

An electronic journal addresses much of the problem: it adds timestamps automatically, flags late entries, and records temperature fluctuations as the sensor actually measures them.