Checking your fridges is one of the simplest food safety jobs in a café, and one of the first records an inspector asks to see. A written log shows you check every day and that you act when something is wrong. This page gives you a free printable fridge and freezer temperature log, and explains how to take a reading, what to do if a fridge is too warm and how long to keep your sheets.
Download the free fridge temperature log (PDF)
The template is 2 A4 pages in black and white, so it prints cleanly on any office printer. Page 1 is a monthly log for up to 4 fridges or freezers, with a morning and an evening reading for every day. Page 2 is a corrective action record for the days a reading is too high.
What is on the template
Page 1, the fridge and freezer temperature log, has:
- Your business name and the month, at the top.
- Four unit columns. Write the name of each unit in the box at the top, such as "Fridge 1", "Fridge 2", "Freezer" or "Display chiller".
- Rows for days 1 to 31, each with an AM and a PM box for every unit.
- An initials column, so you know who took the readings.
- An "Action taken?" column. Tick it when a reading was out of range, and write the details on page 2.
- A key with the limits: fridges 5°C or below as the target and 8°C as the legal maximum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and freezers -18°C or colder.
Page 2, the corrective action record, has 15 rows for the date, time, unit, the reading, what you did, the reading when you checked again, and initials. Below it is a short list of good habits to keep near the fridges.
Print one copy of each page a month and keep the sheets together in a folder.
Safe fridge and freezer temperatures
The figures most UK cafés work to:
- Fridges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: the law says chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below. The Food Standards Agency's Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) pack recommends running fridges at 5°C or below, which gives you a margin when the door is opened often.
- Fridges in Scotland: chilled food must be kept in a fridge or a cool place, and Food Standards Scotland recommends 5°C or below.
- Freezers: -18°C or colder.
A fridge that reads 6°C or 7°C is still within the legal limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but it is a sign to look at the thermostat, the door seal and how full the fridge is before it gets worse.
Do you have to keep a fridge temperature log?
The law does not name a form you must fill in. It does say you must have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles and be able to show your checks are being done. For temperatures, a written log is the usual way to show that. It is part of your due diligence, and environmental health officers (EHOs) commonly ask to see it on an inspection.
A log with gaps, or with every reading the same in the same pen, tells the inspector the checks are not really happening. A log filled in on the day, with a note every time something went wrong, tells them your system works. Our guide to getting a 5 star food hygiene rating explains how records count towards your score.
How to take a fridge temperature reading
Check at least twice a day: once at opening, before you take food out, and once before closing.
- Use a probe thermometer if you can. The display on the front of a fridge measures the air near the sensor, which can be warmer or colder than the food.
- Probe the food, not the air. Put the probe between two packs, or into a test jar of water or gel kept in the fridge. Don't push a probe into food you are going to serve unless you clean and disinfect it first.
- Read it before the door has been open for long. A reading straight after a delivery or a busy service will be higher than normal.
- Write the number down straight away, with your initials. Don't write "OK" or a tick. The number is the record.
- If you use the fridge's own display, check it against a probe once a week. If the two disagree by more than a degree or so, trust the probe and get the display looked at.
Calibrate your probe once a month. It should read about 0°C in a cup of iced water and about 100°C in boiling water. If it doesn't, replace it or follow the maker's instructions.
What to do if a fridge is too warm
A high reading is not a failure. A high reading with nothing written next to it is. If a fridge reads above 8°C, or above your own target:
- Check the door. Is it shut properly? Is the seal torn or dirty? Is something stopping it closing?
- Look for the obvious. Is the fridge overfilled? Has a warm delivery just gone in? Has the thermostat been knocked?
- Check again after 30 minutes. If the reading is back in range, write both readings down and carry on.
- If it is still too warm, move high-risk food such as dairy, cooked meats, sandwiches and desserts into a fridge that is working.
- Decide what to do with the food. If you don't know how long the food has been warm, follow the SFBB guidance and, if in doubt, throw it out.
- Call an engineer if the fridge keeps running warm.
- Write down what you did on page 2: the reading, the action, the re-check reading and your initials.
The same steps apply to a freezer that is warmer than -18°C. Food that has started to thaw should not be refrozen unless you are sure it is still safe; if in doubt, throw it out.
How long to keep temperature records
The law does not set a single period for keeping fridge temperature logs. As a sensible habit, many businesses keep their records for at least a year, or for the shelf life of the food plus a margin, whichever is longer. A year of sheets usually covers the time since your last inspection and gives you something to show if a customer complains about food from a few months ago.
Keep the sheets in one folder, in date order, somewhere staff can find them. If an inspector arrives on a day the manager is off, anyone on shift should be able to hand the folder over.
Good habits that keep fridges cold
- Don't overfill. Cold air needs room to move around the food.
- Keep doors shut. Close them properly after deliveries and during service.
- Put deliveries away quickly, chilled and frozen goods first.
- Let hot food cool before it goes in, as quickly as you safely can, ideally within 90 minutes.
- Clean the seals and keep the vents clear so the fridge isn't working harder than it needs to.
How it works in Café QR
Paper logs work when everyone fills them in on time. When they don't, a missed check or a warm fridge stays hidden until someone turns the page. Café QR's food safety module keeps the same records on a tablet or phone and flags problems as they happen.
- Add your fridges and freezers once. In Safety, go to Set up, then Fridges and equipment, and add each unit with its safe range. Fridges start at 0°C to 8°C and freezers at -18°C or below, and you can change the limits for each unit.
- Temperature rounds. Staff go through each unit in turn and type the reading. It turns green when it is in range for that unit.
- Forced corrective actions. When a reading is out of range, Café QR won't save it without a note of what was done, such as moving the food or adjusting the thermostat. Staff can ask to be reminded to check again in 30 minutes.
- Alerts. An out-of-range reading with no fix, or a missed round, sends the people you choose a text and an email, and stays on the Today screen until it is dealt with.
- A daily diary with manager sign-off, which pulls in the day's checks and readings.
- Inspection mode. A read-only report of your temperatures, corrective actions and diary sign-offs for the last 7 days, 30 days, 90 days or 12 months, with a Print / Save as PDF button.
Readings are entered by hand from your own probe; wireless probes are not connected yet. Café QR helps you keep your records, but it doesn't replace your food safety management system or guarantee an inspection result. Read our guide to digital food safety records or see how food safety works in Café QR.
Frequently asked questions
Is the fridge temperature log template really free?
Yes. Download the PDF, print as many copies as you like and use them in your café. You do not need to sign up for anything.
What temperature should a commercial fridge be in the UK?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below by law. Most cafés aim for 5°C or below, as the FSA's SFBB pack recommends, to leave a margin. In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland recommends 5°C or below.
What temperature should a freezer be?
-18°C or colder.
How often should I check fridge temperatures?
At least once a day, and most cafés check twice: at opening and before closing. Check more often if a fridge has been running warm or after a large delivery.
Do I need a separate log for each fridge?
No. One sheet can cover several units, as long as each one is clearly named. The template has columns for up to 4 units. If you have more, print a second copy and name the units on that one.
What should I write if a reading is too high?
The reading, the time, what you did, the reading when you checked again, and your initials. Page 2 of the template has a column for each.
How long should I keep fridge temperature records?
There is no single legal period. Many businesses keep them for at least a year, or for the shelf life of the food plus a margin, as a sensible habit.