Food temperature controls and monitoring

The following information will be relevant to most catering establishments, however, the temperature controls and monitoring procedures you put in place should be considered through your HACCP procedures.

Receipt

When food is delivered you should check that it has been transported at the appropriate temperature. Staff should not accept chilled or frozen food that has not been kept sufficiently cold.

Storage fridges

Storage fridges must operate at a temperature that will keep high-risk foods at or below 8°C and your freezers below -18°C.

Cooking

It is good practice to check the core temperature of cooked foods, particularly larger items, to ensure that it reaches 75°C for 2 minutes.  This can be helpful in addition to visual checks of the food to determine whether it is properly cooked.

Cooling

After cooking food should be cooled quickly before being refrigerated and date-coded. Generally speaking, food should be brought down to room temperature within 90 minutes.

Hot-holding

If food is to be kept hot after cooking it should be kept at a minimum temperature of 63°C.

Dishwashers

It is recommended that commercial dishwasher temperatures exceed 81°C to ensure effective disinfection takes place. If the unit provides a temperature display, you can use this to monitor temperatures. Dishwasher temperature strips/stickers can be used periodically to check the accuracy of display temperatures or more frequently as a means of monitoring in units without temperature displays.

Dishwashers should be maintained in good working order and an appropriate dishwasher detergent used. The manufacturer will be able to provide you with more detail on the operation of your unit.

Thermometers

You will need thermometers in order to measure temperatures at each stage of the food operation (from receipt, through storage, to cooking). Fridge thermometers may be used to check refrigerator and freezer temperatures, whilst probe thermometers may be used to measure hot food temperatures.

Records

You are advised to keep a daily record of all temperatures that are being monitored and retain the information on-site.

Contact Food and Safety

If you have any questions or would like any advice, please contact us:

Food and Safety
Regulatory Services Partnership
2^nd Floor Merton Civic Offices
London Road
SM4 5DX

Telephone: 020 8545 3025
Email: foodandsafety@merton.gov.uk

We are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.