Generate a printable fridge, freezer and hot-holding temperature log with targets and corrective-action guidance. Free PDF, FSANZ-aligned.
Cold potentially hazardous food should be kept at or below 5C, so fridges are commonly set around 3C to 4C to stay safely under that limit. Freezers should keep food frozen hard, typically around minus 18C. Hot food being held should stay at or above 60C.
The temperature danger zone is 5C to 60C, the range in which food-poisoning bacteria grow most rapidly. Keeping potentially hazardous food below 5C or above 60C, and minimising time in the zone, is central to food safety under the Code.
A common practice is to check and record cold and hot storage at least once or twice a day, such as at opening and during service. More frequent checks are wise for high-risk items or during busy periods. Your log should capture the reading, the time and who took it.
Take corrective action straight away: move food to a working unit, check the appliance, and assess whether the food is still safe using the 2-hour/4-hour rule for how long it has been in the danger zone. Record what you found and what you did on the log.
Temperature records are one of the clearest ways to show you keep food out of the danger zone, and inspectors routinely ask to see them. Even where not strictly mandated, keeping a consistent log demonstrates due diligence and makes inspections easier.
Yes. This tool gives you a free printable log, and FoodSafety HQ can run temperature checks digitally so staff record readings on a phone, out-of-range values trigger a prompt, and the history is stored automatically for audits.