Technical reference
Offsite catering is a process, not one . It joins cooking, , cold storage and hot holding, then adds transport and a kitchen you don't control. Time out of temperature adds up across the stages, so the record has to carry the time as well as the temperature.
A delivery vehicle holds temperature but isn't built to change it. 's catering code says this directly for chilled food, so food loaded warm stays warm for longer, with the journey added to its time in the .
Reheating won't rescue food that has spent too long warm. can germinate and some organisms can form toxins that survive reheating, which is why the time counts the whole journey and not only the last step.
Parameters
| Hazard | Growth and in food that loses temperature control, and contamination in transit and at the venue |
|---|---|
| Australian limits | 5 °C or colder, or 60 °C or hotter, unless the business shows another temperature or time is safe |
| Time as a control (Australia) | Up to 4 hours in total, with transit time counted (, Appendix 2) |
| Codex catering transport | 60 °C or hotter; 4 °C with a short rise to 7 °C; −18 °C with a short rise to −12 °C |
| Singapore | Under 4 hours in total between 5 °C and 60 °C, counted from first preparation, for catered food |
| Reading points | Before departure, on arrival, and at service where there is no heating on site |
Records that prove it
- Event, venue and what it provides
- Each item's reading and time before departure
- Each item's reading and time on arrival
- Vehicle temperature, where the plan requires it
- Venue checks at start and end
- Readings at service, and on-site cooking
- Discards, corrective actions and verification
The 2-hour / 4-hour rule
Total time out of temperature control. Check whether your food law or plan uses this rule, and when its clock starts.
Maximum cumulative exposure
FDA guidance written for fish and fishery products, shown here as a worked example of how combine. * See the source's footnotes. Source: , Table A-2.
CCP or prerequisite?
That depends on the for your process. The number, if it has one, belongs to your plan.