What is the real temperature of your food cold rooms?


Food cold rooms are an integral piece of equipment when it comes to food safety. The purpose of a food cold room or coolroom is to keep your food out of the temperature danger zone. With this in mind, it makes sense to incorporate a check to determine the performance of this type of equipment.

Why do we want to double check the food cold room temperatures?

It is always good to double check the operation of your critical food safety equipment. Simply relying on a display unit may cause food safety issues related to stored food if the temperature display unit is faulty. It will also help determine if your equipment is required to be recalibrated.

Easily verify the food cold room temperature

The easiest and quickest way to check the actual temperature inside of your coolroom is to:

Step 1: Place a cup or container of water inside of your cold room. Leave this cup there for at least 24 hours. This will allow the water to chill to the temperature of the room.

Step 2: Write down the temperature as shown on the cold room temperature display unit.

Step 3: Place the probe of a hand-held calibrated thermometer into the water. Note down the temperature reading for the water.

Step 4: Compare the results from the two different sources.  Take corrective action if needed.

How often should the cold room temperature be checked?

It is up to your food business to make that call. However, you should take into consideration:

  • The overall risk to the food business including the type of food being stored
  • Legal or regulatory requirements
  • Customer certification requirements
  • The period of time that food is stored within the cold room
  • The temperature of the food being stored

Take note

A common misconception that I see as a food auditor and consultant is the belief by a food business that the temperature of the cold room is indicative of the temperature of the actual food stored within. If you are using your cold room to cool hot or warm foods the display temperature will be very different to that of the actual food. When controlling the growth of microorganisms in stored food items during this type of cooling process, it is important to take the food temperature.

Did you get a variance?

How did you go? Was there a variance between the temperature reading you recorded from the container of water and that of the food cold room temperature display? Share your results with the HACCP Mentor community by leaving a comment below. If you have any justifications for the variance you can let us know as well.

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