UK Food Safety Temperatures: The Complete FSA Chart for Hospitality

Last updated: April 2026

Keeping food at safe temperatures is one of the fastest ways to win over your EHO and protect customers. This guide gathers the UK legal and best-practice ranges most kitchens look for: fridge, freezer, delivery, cooking & reheating, hot holding, cooling, defrosting.

Quick reference: Keep chilled food at ≤8°C, frozen food at ≤-18°C, hot food at ≥63°C, cook/reheat to a safe core temperature (e.g., 75°C for 30 seconds or equivalent), and log everything consistently.

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Fridges (UK food safety law)

• Target: 1-8°C (ideal 5°C)
• Record: at least twice daily per fridge
• If out of range: retake in 1 hour; if still high, remove from service and record corrective action
• Segregation: store raw and ready-to-eat separately to prevent cross-contamination

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Freezers

• Target: ≤ -18°C
• Record: at least twice daily per freezer
• If warmer than -18°C: retake in 1 hour. If still high, remove from service and record corrective action
• Segregation: store raw and ready-to-eat separately to prevent cross-contamination

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Food deliveries: acceptance temperatures

Record temperatures on arrival and document accept/reject decisions.

• Chilled items: 1-8°C
• Quick-frozen items: ≤ -18°C (acceptable to -15°C if unavoidable and re-frozen immediately)
• Normally frozen items: ≤ -15°C (acceptable to -12°C)
• If out of range: reject or isolate and log corrective action and reason for acceptance

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Cooking temperatures

Probe the centre/thickest part of the food.

• Standard target: 75°C for 30 seconds
• Accepted time/temperature equivalents:
  • 60°C for 45 minutes
  • 65°C for 10 minutes
  • 70°C for 2 minutes
  • 80°C for 6 seconds

Batch policy: record the first batch and when you change product, size, load or equipment; spot-check during service.

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Reheating temperatures

• Target: 75°C for 30 seconds (or the same equivalents above)
• Good practice: reheat rapidly, don't hot-hold from cold. Reach safe core temp before service

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Hot holding

• Target: ≥ 63°C
• Monitoring: check at sensible intervals (e.g. every 2 hours) and log
• Time in lieu of temperature: food that drops below 63°C may be kept out of temperature control for up to 2 hours once only, then use, cool, or discard

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Cooling

Cool cooked foods promptly to reduce bacterial growth:

• Goal: Cool from cooking to ≤ 8°C within 2 hours
• How to speed it up: shallow trays, smaller portions, blast chiller, ice bath; avoid tight lids while hot
• Logging: record start time/method and when food reaches ≤ 8°C

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Cold holding / display

• Chilled display: keep ready-to-eat foods ≤ 8°C
• Buffets & events: where refrigeration isn't practical, use time control - max 4 hours unrefrigerated, then discard; clearly mark the start time

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Defrosting

• Defrost in the fridge (≤ 8°C) or under cold running water
• Keep foods covered and separate from ready-to-eat items while thawing
• Drain and cook promptly; never re-freeze raw foods once fully thawed (unless cooked first)

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Probe care & calibration

• Between uses: sanitise probes with food-safe wipes
• Regular calibration: check in boiling water (~100°C) and ice water (~0°C) and record results
• If off: recalibrate or replace and note the corrective action

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Quality vs food safety

Some checks are essential good practice, but not food hygiene items:

• Cellar temperatures: 10-13°C (beer/wine quality)
• Legionella checks: Hot ≥ 50°C, Cold ≤ 20°C (health & safety)

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Opening & closing checks

• Visual cleanliness & equipment check
• Pest evidence checks
• Fridge/freezer log reminders
• Probes present, charged, sanitised

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Make It Bulletproof with Aquaint

Aquaint makes this effortless:

• Twice-daily fridge/freezer prompts per unit
• Delivery temperature capture with accept/reject actions
• Cook/reheat records with time/temperature equivalents built-in
• Hot-hold timers and alerts for the 2-hour rule
• Cooling workflows with timestamps and methods
• Calibration logs with pass/fail and corrective action
• EHO-ready reports in one tap (site, date range, team)

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FAQs

What is the legal fridge temperature in the UK?
Keep chilled foods at 8°C or below. Most kitchens target 5°C to stay comfortably within range. See the FSA Safer Food Better Business guide for full requirements.

What temperature should freezers be in the UK?
-18°C or colder. Record at least twice daily per unit. This is a legal requirement under the Food Safety Act 1990.

What temperature should food be cooked to in the UK?
A common safe target is 75°C for 30 seconds at the core. You can also use approved time/temperature equivalents like 70°C for 2 minutes. See the FSA HACCP guidance for full details.

What temperature is hot holding in the UK?
63°C or above. If food drops below this, you can use time control for up to 2 hours once only.

How quickly must food be cooled?
From cooking to ≤ 8°C within 90 minutes-2 hours. Use shallow pans, blast chillers or ice baths to speed it up.

Can I defrost food at room temperature?
No. Defrost in the fridge or under cold running water. Keep separate from ready-to-eat foods.

Do I need to calibrate my probe?
Yes. Check ~100°C (boiling) and ~0°C (ice water) regularly and record the results.

What happens if my fridge goes out of temperature during service?
Record the issue, retake the temperature after 1 hour. If still high, remove the unit from service and document the corrective action. Keep a compliance log for your EHO inspection.

Related reading

• HACCP Plan Template for UK Hospitality (Free PDF)
• EHO Inspection Checklist 2026: Get 5 Stars
• 14 UK Allergens: The Hospitality Team's Guide
• Paper vs Digital Compliance: Why Hospitality Venues Are Making the Switch
• The Compliance Reporting Checklist Every Hospitality Venue Needs