Technical reference
Cold storage slows growth but does not stop it, so shelf life depends on temperature. A unit's air trace is evidence, and a product reading settles .
Refrigeration slows growth but doesn't stop every . can grow from −0.4 °C, Yersinia enterocolitica from −1.3 °C and non-proteolytic C. botulinum from 3.3 °C (FDA Table A-1).
FDA's cumulative guidance allows up to 7 days between −0.4 °C and 5 °C, but only 1 day at 6 to 10 °C. So a few degrees changes the risk substantially (FDA Table A-2).
Parameters
| Codex chilled limit | 4 °C or colder in every part of the food |
|---|---|
| Codex frozen limit | −18 °C or colder |
| Monitoring | Continuous by sensor, or manual readings at set times |
| Excursion clock | Starts when the food left its , from the record |
| Back in service | A sustained reading within , not a single one |
Records that prove it
- Temperature record for each unit and day
- Each excursion: start, food reading, action, quantity
- Maintenance request and proof of repair
- Weekly review, including gaps
Who can grow in the cold
Extreme reported in the literature, with other conditions favourable. They may not apply to your food or process. Source: , Table A-1.
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.
Reference temperatures
Values from , a code for mass catering. Your own law or plan may set different ones.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilled storage | 5 °C or colder (3.2.2 cl 6). | 5 °C or colder. | Retail 0 to 4 °C or up to 7 °C by food; processing establishments −4 to 7 °C. | −1 to 10 °C for food stored for retail sale (reg 38). | 5 °C is the usual . Plans with bands use a 4 or 5 °C target and an 8 °C critical limit, with time rules between. Some read air, some the food, and some a simulant such as a water vial. |
| Frozen storage | Stays frozen, with no figure (3.2.2 cl 6). | Stays frozen. | −12 °C for retail frozen raw meat; −18 °C or colder for processing establishments. | Below −18 °C for frozen meat and fish (regs 39, 45). | Divided between −15 °C and −18 °C, and sometimes both in one business. Some use −18 °C as a target and −15 °C as an action line. Classified as an OPRP, a prerequisite, or part of a storage CCP, depending on the plan. |
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.