Food Safety Records for Ice Cream Sellers
The scoop changes everything — literally. Sell only packaged ice creams and ice blocks and you're at National Programme 1, the lightest tier. Start scooping and you're handling food, which MPI's guidance puts under National Programme 3, with more to record and a 2-yearly verification. KitchenSorted keeps the records for either — free.
Free forever for daily records. No credit card. No hardware.
Packaged or scooped — which National Programme is an ice cream shop?
Both answers come straight from MPI's guidance covers. NP1 includes businesses that “sell packaged ice creams, ice blocks or similar items only” (NP1 guidance, December 2025 v2). NP3 covers businesses that “handle food for retail (including scooping ice cream and reheating manufacture prepared food)” (NP3 guidance, December 2025 v2).
NP1 — packaged only
- Freezer of wrapped ice creams and ice blocks, sold as-is
- One initial verification, then none unless something goes wrong (regs 91–94)
- Sector-specific verification topic: “Check your temperatures”
- Safe storage is a top requirement — packaged ice creams kept frozen, not sold past their Use-By date
NP3 — you scoop
- Scooping is handling: open product, serving utensils, hygiene in play
- Verification at least every 2 years (reg 91)
- More day-to-day duties: cleaning and sanitising, personal hygiene, safe storage
- Same 4-year record rules as every National Programme
Add milkshakes, sundaes or anything you prepare, and the picture can change again — that's a question for MPI's My Food Rules tool, not for any blog or app.
The records that matter in an ice cream business
Whichever level you're on, the freezer is the heart of it — and temperature checks are the record your verifier will go to first. Under both programmes, records must state when the check happened, the result and who did it, and be kept for at least 4 years (regulations 81–82, Food Regulations 2015).
Freezer checks
Daily temperature logs in a few taps — product staying frozen solid, flagged the moment a cabinet drifts, corrective action attached.
Cleaning & hygiene (NP3)
Scoop-water changes, surfaces and utensils ticked off as they happen, each one dated.
Suppliers, training & recalls
Deliveries logged as they land, staff training signed off, and the mock recall recorded — free template.
Daily records are free, and stay free. 4 years of history, verification packs and reminders live in the paid plan — your free-plan records are never deleted and unlock when you upgrade.
Sources & review
- MPI: National Programme 1 guidance, December 2025 v2 (PDF)
- MPI: National Programme 3 guidance, December 2025 v2 (PDF)
- MPI: My Food Rules
- Food Regulations 2015 (regs 81–82, 91–94)
Reviewed on 4 August 2026 by the KitchenSorted team. Regulatory pages are re-reviewed quarterly, and immediately when MPI announces template or policy changes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
This page is general information, not legal or food-safety advice. Always confirm requirements with MPI, your registration authority, or your verifier.
Freezer Checks in a Few Taps
Whichever programme your shop is on, the records live in one free app — start today.