HACCP temperature logging: how to do it right (and inspection-proof)
Logging temperatures is the heart of HACCP. Here's which readings are required, what the legal limits are, and how to keep a logbook an inspector can't fault.
HACCP temperature logging means routinely recording the temperature of your fridges, freezers and preparations, checking each reading against the legal limits, and noting a corrective action whenever something is out of range. It isn't paperwork for its own sake — it's how you prove you store and prepare food safely. And it's exactly what a food-safety inspector wants to see.
Which temperatures do you need to log?
For most kitchens it comes down to three kinds of readings, each with its own rhythm:
- Fridges and freezers: at least daily, often at opening and closing. This is the backbone of your cold chain.
- Goods inwards: measure the core temperature of perishable products on delivery, before you sign for them.
- Cooking and reheating: core temperature when heating, holding and (rapidly) cooling — the moments when bacteria multiply fastest.
The legal limits you need to know
The danger zone — where bacteria grow fastest — sits between 7 °C and 60 °C. Your goal is to keep food in that zone as briefly as possible. The key reference values for a professional kitchen:
- Chilled storage: 7 °C maximum, and 4 °C or lower for many products.
- Freezing: -18 °C or colder.
- Cooking: a core temperature of at least 75 °C (or an equivalent time-temperature combination).
- Hot holding: at least 60 °C.
- Cooling down: from 60 °C to 7 °C within roughly two hours.
Note: your own HACCP plan or hygiene code may set stricter or more specific limits. Follow those — that's what the inspector checks against.
What do you do when a reading is out of range?
A reading outside the limit isn't a disaster — a reading outside the limit with no recorded action is. For every breach, record what you measured, what caused it, and the corrective action you took (product discarded, fridge adjusted, engineer called). That action is your evidence that you're in control.
Example
Fridge 2 read 9 °C this morning. Products assessed, two trays of fresh fish discarded, thermostat adjusted, re-measured at 11:00: 4 °C. Signed off.
How do you hand over an inspection-proof logbook?
An inspector wants to see three things: that you measure consistently, that you follow up on deviations, and that someone signed off. A logbook that shows that — with date, time, measurement point, value, status and a per-person sign-off — turns an inspection from a stressful moment into a formality.
In practice, paper tends to fail here: missed readings, illegible numbers, no history. That's why Hospry computes the status automatically against the limits, prompts for a corrective action the moment a reading goes over, signs off per staff member with a PIN, and exports the whole logbook as PDF or CSV — ready to hand to the inspector.
Frequently asked questions
- How often should I log temperatures?
- Fridges and freezers at least daily, usually at opening and closing. Measure goods on receipt, and preparations (heating, hot holding, cooling) at the moment itself. Your own HACCP plan sets the exact frequency.
- What is the legal maximum temperature for chilled storage?
- Store chilled products at 7 °C maximum; for many fresh and high-risk products 4 °C or lower is the norm. Freezing is at -18 °C or colder. Check your hygiene code for product-specific limits.
- Does temperature logging have to be on paper, or can it be digital?
- Digital is allowed and preferred by many inspectors, as long as the logbook is complete, traceable and signed off. A digital system like Hospry exports inspection-ready as PDF or CSV.
- What should I do if a temperature is too high?
- Record the reading, assess the products, take a corrective action (discard, adjust the fridge, repair) and measure again. Log the whole deviation and action — that's your proof you're in control.