What does HACCP require for temperature control?
Every food business must have procedures based on the principles of HACCP. In the EU this is Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on food hygiene, which the UK kept in its own law after Brexit. For cold storage it comes down to five things: you decide which temperatures your food must be kept at, you check them, you record the results, you know in advance what to do when a check fails, and you can show all of it to the inspector.
Temperature is a critical control point for almost every business that stores food cold. How often you check, and how you record it, is up to you, as long as the method is reliable and suits the business. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency’s Safer Food, Better Business packs suggest checking fridges at least once a day.
At an inspection, the officer will usually look at whether the plan exists, whether you follow it, and whether the records are complete and easy to find. Missing or incomplete records are among the most common findings, more often than a fridge that is actually too warm.
What temperature limits apply to chilled and frozen food?
The limits are product temperatures: it is the food that has to stay cold, and the air in the cold room is how you keep it there. The table shows the limits most businesses work with. Some products have stricter requirements, and if the packaging gives a lower temperature, that one applies.
| Food | Maximum temperature | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Chilled food in general (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) | 8 °C by law, fridges set at 5 °C or below | Food hygiene regulations, FSA guidance |
| Fresh meat | 7 °C | Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 |
| Poultry meat | 4 °C | Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 |
| Offal | 3 °C | Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 |
| Minced meat | 2 °C | Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 |
| Fresh fish | Temperature of melting ice, about 0 to 2 °C | Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 |
| Quick-frozen food | −18 °C or colder | Quick-frozen foodstuffs rules |
Most plans set an alarm limit a little below the legal limit, so there is time to act. A cold room for chilled food often runs at a setpoint of 2 to 4 °C, so the food stays below 5 °C even when the door has been open and the evaporator is defrosting.
What is the difference between air temperature and product temperature?
Air temperature is the temperature of the air in the cold room or display fridge. It moves quickly: it rises when the door is open, when a delivery comes in and when the evaporator defrosts. Product temperature is the temperature of the food itself. It changes slowly, because the food has a large mass, and it is what the legal limits refer to.
Both are useful. Air temperature is the early signal: if the air warms and stays warm, the food follows. Product temperature is the evidence: it shows whether the food was actually too warm. A short rise in air temperature during a defrost is normal and rarely matters for the food.
Maci Intelligence measures both air temperature in cold rooms and display fridges, and product temperature. Which readings your HACCP records are based on is your decision, written into your plan.
How often should fridge and cold room temperatures be recorded?
For most chilled food the rules don’t set a number of readings. You decide in your plan, based on how sensitive the food is and how quickly you would spot a fault. With a paper sheet that usually means one or two readings a day. An automatic temperature log measures continuously, and Maci Intelligence records the temperature every minute.
Quick-frozen food is the exception. Regulation (EC) No 37/2005 requires the air temperature in frozen stores to be recorded at frequent and regular intervals with instruments that meet the standard EN 12830, and you must be able to show that they do. If Maci is to be part of that record, ask us about the sensors’ accuracy and conformity before you decide.
Paper temperature log or automatic temperature monitoring?
Both are allowed when the method is reliable and described in your plan. The difference is what you find out, and how much time it takes.
| Method | Readings | A fault at night | At an inspection | Typical problems |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper sheet and thermometer | 1 to 2 a day | Not seen | A folder of sheets | Missed checks, figures filled in afterwards |
| Data logger you download | Continuous | Seen afterwards, no alert | A printout from the logger | Nobody downloads it, the battery runs out |
| Automatic log with alerts (Maci) | Every minute | Alert straight away | History in the app | Needs power and a connection |
A paper log costs nothing to start, but someone has to remember it every day, and it only shows the moments when someone looked. An automatic temperature log removes the daily task and catches what happens at night and at weekends. What you still do yourselves is act on the alerts and record what you did.
What does Maci Intelligence record for your temperature log?
Maci Intelligence is sensors and AI fitted to your existing refrigeration systems, whatever the make. For your temperature records, Maci records:
- Air temperature in cold rooms, freezer rooms and display fridges
- Product temperature
- A reading every minute, around the clock
- Alerts in the app, by SMS and email when the temperature drifts, with escalation to the next person on the list if nobody responds, for example after 2 hours
- History for every cold room and display fridge, which you can show at an inspection
- The alerts can also go straight to your own system with a webhook
Maci Intelligence also measures current, pressure and temperature on the system itself. That is how Maci sees a compressor or an evaporator starting to fail and warns you typically 3 to 6 weeks before a breakdown. A log that only shows what went wrong becomes one that helps you prevent it. Read more about refrigeration monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Data is encrypted, stored in the EU under GDPR, and belongs to you. Read more about data security.
What should you do when the temperature has been too high?
Your plan should say in advance what to do when a check fails. For a cold room, a typical approach looks like this:
Check the food
Measure the product temperature with a probe, or between two packs. The air can be warm while the food is still cold.
Find out for how long
Look in the log for when the temperature started to rise and how high it got. With a reading every minute, it is in the history.
Decide what happens to the food
Move it to another cold room, shorten its shelf life or throw it away, as your plan says.
Write it down
Record what happened, what you did and who did it. That is the part the inspector looks for.
Then find the cause so it doesn’t happen again. If the system has stopped altogether, the simple checks on the page about a refrigeration breakdown are a good start.
How do you show your temperature records at an inspection?
At an inspection you need to show your HACCP plan, the temperature records and any failed checks with the action you took. The records have to be easy to find for whoever is on shift, also when the person responsible is off.
With Maci Intelligence the temperature history for every cold room and display fridge is in the app and on the dashboard, and the alerts show who was told, and when. You record corrective actions as your plan describes, including what you did with the food.
Can one system cover HACCP and refrigeration monitoring?
Yes. Maci Intelligence uses the same sensors for the temperature log and for watching the refrigeration system itself. The temperature tells you whether the food is safe. Current and pressure tell you whether the system is about to fail. When Maci warns weeks before a breakdown, the fault is fixed on a planned visit before the food warms up, and there are fewer failed checks to record.
If you run many sites, or manage buildings for clients, Maci brings every system into one view. See also refrigeration alarms and the solution for facility management.
What applies to medicine fridges and GDP temperature monitoring?
Medicines come under medicines law. The EU guidelines on Good Distribution Practice (GDP) require, among other things, that temperatures in stores and fridges are monitored and recorded, that there are alarms for excursions, and that the measuring equipment is calibrated. Many medicines must be kept at 2 to 8 °C.
Maci Intelligence can log and alert on medicine fridges and freezers. Whether it meets your validation and calibration requirements is for you and your quality lead to decide. Read more on the page for hospitals and pharma.
Questions and answers
Can a HACCP temperature log be digital?
Yes. The rules require the records to be reliable and described in your plan. Paper is not a requirement. An automatic, digital temperature log is fine as long as you can show the data at an inspection.
How long should temperature records be kept?
There is no single period for every business. You set it in your plan, based on the shelf life of your products and any industry guide you follow. Maci Intelligence keeps the history, and you can have all of your data handed over.
What happens if a sensor fails?
If a sensor stops sending, it shows as a gap in the history and Maci tells you, so the sensor can be replaced. Your plan should say how you take manual readings in the meantime.
Is Maci approved by the food authority?
Food authorities don’t approve particular temperature logging systems. You judge whether the method is reliable and covers your HACCP plan, and the inspector checks that you follow it.
What does automatic temperature monitoring with Maci cost?
The price of Maci Intelligence depends on the number of systems and sensors, and you get a quote after a short review of your cold rooms and display fridges.
Can our refrigeration company get the alert too?
Yes. You decide who is on the list, and your refrigeration company or technician can be on it as the person on call. Maci is not a staffed alarm centre, so someone on your side or theirs must be able to respond.