Can we use a temperature alarm system (or other electronic monitoring system) in place of having an individual check the temperature of refrigerators and freezers?

In CFR 201.13, which addresses the facilities management standards that are part of the National School Lunch Program, it states:

(c) Storage. The school food authority shall ensure that the necessary facilities for storage, preparation, and service of food are maintained. Facilities for the handling, storage, and distribution of purchased and donated foods shall be such as to properly safeguard against theft, spoilage, and other loss.

Based on this, the policy is that when the operation is open for normal business, one of the foodservice staff must check the temperature of all refrigeration and freezer units and record the temperatures on the daily temperature monitoring form found in 2-6: Monitoring and Recordkeeping of the School HACCP Plan. Because requiring daily temperature checks of refrigerators and freezers by a person can be very costly, data from the temperature alarm logs or other electronic monitoring system with a battery back-up can be used as evidence that the temperature was monitored on a daily basis during vacations, weekends, and holidays. A battery back-up is required so they are still active during power outages. The data from the alarm or electronic monitoring logs must be stapled to the daily temperature recording sheet as it is a part of your HACCP record.