Technical reference
destruction depends on both temperature and time at the coldest point in the food, which is why the core is measured. Cooking doesn't destroy , so and hot holding still matter afterwards.
Thermal death is logarithmic. The is the time at a given temperature that reduces a population tenfold, and the is the temperature change that alters D tenfold.
FDA gives a reduction of as 2 minutes at 70 °C, with z = 7.5 °C. A 75 °C core gives the same reduction in about 0.4 minutes, and 63 °C needs about 17 minutes (FDA Table A-3).
aren't destroyed this way. Non-proteolytic C. botulinum type B needs 10 minutes at 90 °C for a reduction (FDA Table A-4), which is why cook-chill shelf life and vacuum packs need their own assessment.
Parameters
| Hazard | surviving in undercooked or under-reheated food |
|---|---|
| 6-log Listeria example | 2 min at 70 °C; z = 7.5 °C |
| Codex reheating limit | At least 75 °C at the centre, or an equivalent lethality, within 1 h of leaving refrigeration |
| Reheat rule | Once only: then used or discarded |
| Reading resolution | 0.1 °C |
| Instrument | probe; never a surface reader for the core |
| Same heat, different target | 82 °C gives a reduction in about 3 seconds, but non-proteolytic C. botulinum needs about 78 minutes. The target depends on the shelf life you want |
Records that prove it
- Item and cooking method
- Each reading, with time and instrument
- Outcome, and corrective action
- Discard, with quantity
- Cause found after a failure
Reference temperatures
Values from , a code for mass catering. Your own law or plan may set different ones.
CCP or prerequisite?
That depends on the for your process. The number, if it has one, belongs to your plan.
Law and practice
| Control | Australia | New Zealand | Singapore | Malaysia | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking | No figure in the Code. Guidance: 75 °C core for poultry and minced food (). | 75 °C in all parts, or a listed (notice). | Cook thoroughly, with no numeric in the guideline read. | No figure in the regulations read. | Australian plans mostly use 75 °C. Certified hotel and airline plans often use a table by food: poultry about 74 °C for 15 seconds, minced meat 68 to 70 °C, and whole cuts and fish about 63 °C. |
| Reheating | Rapidly to 60 °C or hotter, to hold hot (3.2.2 cl 7(4)). | At least 75 °C, then above 60 °C (template plan). | Core at least 75 °C for at least 2 minutes, once only (SFA guideline). | No figure in the regulations read. | Divided between 60 °C and 75 °C. In Australia, 75 °C is a stricter house rule than the Code's 60 °C. Time windows run from 45 minutes to 2 hours, and many plans allow one reheat only. |
Law as read in the authority library between 14 October and 4 November 2026. In practice: food safety programmes read across hotels, clubs, venues, healthcare, manufacturing and airline catering, with no business named. A common practice isn't proof that a is safe or lawful where you are.
Cook-chill: cook, chill, store, shelf life
| Profile | Cook | Chill | Store | Shelf life | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-stage , no extended life | Cooked to your plan's | 60 to 21 °C in 2 hours, then to 5 °C in 4 more | 5 °C or colder | Set by your plan | cl 7(3). This controls growth during and gives no shelf life by itself. |
| Blast , common in practice | Often from 75 °C | 75 to 5 °C in under 2 hours | 5 °C or colder | Set by your plan | Practice across hotels, venues and production kitchens. It meets the Code's outcome faster. |
| Short shelf life, 5 days or less | 75 °C at the core, instantly, or equivalent | To 3 °C or colder within 150 minutes | 3 °C or colder | Up to 5 days, counting the days of production and service | Irish guidance for hospitals, institutions and caterers (FSAI Guidance Note 15). Reheat to 70 °C or hotter. |
| Short shelf life, up to 10 days | 70 °C for 2 minutes, 75 °C, or equivalent: a reduction | Code ; rapid chilling to 5 °C or colder | 5 °C or colder | Up to 10 days, counting production and consumption. Over 5 days needs evidence | NSW guidelines for vulnerable persons (July 2026); Appendix 3. |
| Extended shelf life, over 10 days | 90 °C for 10 minutes or equivalent: a reduction of non-proteolytic C. botulinum. Equivalents: 85 °C for 36 minutes, 80 °C for 130 minutes | To 5 °C or colder within 90 minutes may be required | ; 3 °C or colder may be needed | As | NSW guidelines; Appendix 3; Campden BRI. NSW also asks for aseptic packing. Campden also accepts below 5.0, below 0.97, 3.5% aqueous salt, or a shown combination. |
| Extended-life hospital | 82 °C at the core | To 3 °C within 2 hours | 3 °C or colder | Up to 28 days, only on the kitchen's own | A seen in healthcare cook-chill. It gives strong assurance: 82 °C needs about 3 seconds for 6 logs. Non-proteolytic C. botulinum needs about 78 minutes at 82 °C, so past 10 days this profile doesn't rest on the heat step alone. It needs cold storage at 3 °C or colder, where non-proteolytic C. botulinum doesn't grow, plus packing and end-of-life evidence, accepted by your regulator or auditor. |
Examples only, not a recipe. Heat kills what it reaches, and the shelf life then depends on the chill, the storage temperature, recontamination, the pack and the food itself. your own process, and take expert advice for extended life. Reheat once, to 70 °C for 2 minutes or equivalent under the NSW guideline, and discard leftovers. Use a use-by date.
| Core temperature | 6-log Listeria monocytogenes | 6-log non-proteolytic C. botulinum |
|---|---|---|
| 70 °C | About 2 min | Not in the table read |
| 75 °C | 26 s | About 466 min |
| 80 °C | 6 s | About 130 min |
| 82 °C | 3 s | About 78 min |
| 85 °C | 1 s | About 36 min |
| 90 °C | Not in the table read | About 10 min |
From the NSW guideline's Appendix 3 (July 2026). The food must hold this temperature for this time at its coldest point.