HACCP records
HACCP records under the new ordinance, on the phone.
Croatia's HACCP ordinance NN 124/2025 has applied since 1 September 2026. The only daily record it requires of a restaurant is the cold chain record, at least once a day. You may keep it digitally if each entry is recorded in real time and every later change leaves a trace.
What the new ordinance requires of a restaurant
Only the cold chain record is kept daily, "at least once a day" (Article 14(3) of Croatia's HACCP ordinance NN 124/2025).
The ordinance has been in force since 1 September 2026 and replaces the NN 68/15 ordinance (Articles 30 and 31). Under it a restaurant is a higher-risk hospitality establishment (Article 12(1)(3)) and must have this documentation available on site (Article 14(3)):
- a procedure for receiving raw materials, with acceptance criteria
- food traceability documentation
- a cleaning, washing and disinfection plan, with the products, the people and the method
- swab analyses that verify the cleaning
- the cold chain record, at least once a day
- instructions for storing food and dishes that need a set temperature, with shelf lives, if this applies to you
- pictures of acceptable browning for food at risk of acrylamide (fries, toast and similar), if you prepare it
- a pest control plan and pest control certificates
- a procedure for gluten-free food, if you prepare it
- a list of allergens in the dishes
Staff training records
Every food business must train the staff whose work affects food safety and keep a record of it (Article 6(1)). It also keeps a record of how effective the training was (Article 6(3)).
A bar has a shorter list
A bar that prepares and serves only drinks, hot drinks, cold and hot sandwiches, desserts and fruit is a lower-risk establishment (Article 12(1)(2)). Its list is in Article 14(2), and it keeps the cold chain record once a day.
Can the records be digital
Yes. The ordinance allows electronic records on two conditions (Article 25(6)):
- data is recorded in real time
- every later change is logged: who made it, when and why
What this means for a restaurant
Article 25 is written for venues that work on full HACCP principles. For a restaurant it is therefore the benchmark, not a direct duty. The direct basis is Article 16(2): a venue that works by a guide keeps the guide's plans and records "in written or electronic form". The 2025 HOK guide sets the same two conditions in its note on p. 94.
85%
less time checking HACCP records
Records ready for the inspector, no digging through folders
The system, not a person, records the time of every HACCP entry
An out-of-range temperature requires a corrective action on the spot
How Patrono does it
The cold chain record on the phone
Fridge, freezer and delivery temperatures
Each record keeps who entered it, when, at which venue and for which unit, the reading, the range it was checked against and whether it was in range. If a venue has no temperature record that day, the owner and the manager get a reminder the same day: in the morning, and once more in the evening only if there is still no record.
Out of range only with a corrective action
An out-of-range reading cannot be saved without a corrective action. The action stays with the record, so it shows what was done and who entered it.
A saved record does not change
A saved temperature record in Patrono cannot be edited or deleted. A correction is a new entry, and the original record stays visible.
Checklists by day
Keep opening, closing and cleaning as a checklist by day. Set the template once for the whole organisation and it applies at every venue.
Monthly printout
Owners and managers print a venue's monthly overview: the checklist by day and the temperature log for fridges, freezers and deliveries, with date, time, unit, value, person and corrective action.
Everything on the phone
Staff fill everything in on the phone, where they measure. The system records the time of each entry, and the person's name comes from their login.
That is why the cold chain record in Patrono meets both conditions: each entry is recorded at the moment it is saved, and a saved record cannot be changed, so there is no change without a trace. The benchmark is Article 25(6), and for a restaurant Article 16(2) and the 2025 HOK guide, p. 94.
Typical scenarios
Restaurant with two refrigerators and two freezers
Each unit has its own log. An out-of-range reading cannot be saved without a corrective action, and the record keeps the time and the person.
Catering on the road
Delivery temperatures and checklists are entered on the phone, on site. The system records the time of each entry, so nothing is rebuilt from memory.
Franchise with a unified standard
Every venue works from the same checklists because the template is shared across the organisation. When you change it, the change applies at every venue.
Printable forms
If you keep records on paper, print these forms. They follow the ordinance and the 2025 HOK guide, and each one says what to record and on what basis.
Fridge temperature log
The log is required for every restaurant, at least once a day. A weekly form for five units, morning and evening.
Cleaning plan and cleaning log
The cleaning, washing and disinfection plan is required. A monthly log of the work is good practice.
HACCP starter pack
Four forms on one page: temperatures, goods receiving, and opening and closing checklists.
Questions about HACCP records
How often should fridge temperatures be measured?
At least once a day. Croatia's ordinance NN 124/2025 requires a restaurant to keep the cold chain record "at least once a day" (Article 14(3)), and a bar once a day (Article 14(2)). A morning and an evening reading is good practice, because a fault overnight shows up before prep.
What temperature should a fridge be?
The 2025 HOK guide gives fridges up to 8 °C, +4 °C or lower for sensitive food. For freezers it gives -18 °C or lower. For individual foods it gives maximum temperatures, for example +2 °C for minced meat and +4 °C for poultry, unless the product label states otherwise. Write the range for each unit in your plan.
Can HACCP records be kept on a phone?
Yes. The ordinance allows electronic records if data is recorded in real time and every later change is logged: who made it, when and why (Article 25(6)). For a restaurant that works by the HOK guide the basis is Article 16(2), and the guide sets the same two conditions on p. 94.
Does a restaurant need a HACCP plan?
No, if it controls hazards through the prerequisite programmes of Article 8. It then does not have to carry out a hazard analysis (Article 10(2) of Ordinance NN 124/2025). The exception is the processes of Article 12(2): preparation that takes longer than 72 hours, such as drying and ageing, and food for special groups, such as gluten-free food. For such a process a hazard analysis is required. A restaurant must keep the documentation of Article 14(3) on site in any case.
How long are HACCP records kept?
Ordinance NN 124/2025 sets no retention period for a restaurant's records. The 2025 HOK guide says records are kept for at least 12 months (p. 71).
Which HACCP records must a restaurant keep every day?
Only the cold chain record, at least once a day. On the list in Article 14(3) it is the only item with a set frequency. The cleaning plan, swab analyses, the pest control plan and the other documents on that list must be available on site. Every venue keeps staff training records (Article 6(1) and (3)).
Does the ordinance prescribe HACCP forms?
No. The ordinance does not prescribe a record form. The 2025 HOK guide gives example records, and each venue adapts them. Our printable forms follow the ordinance and the guide.
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