Fridge temperature log sheet: free template and how to fill it in correctly

Looking for a sheet to record fridge temperatures on? Here it is. We prepared a monthly log sheet that holds up at an inspection, with a short guide on filling it in so that the question "where are your records" never worries you.

What a temperature record must contain

The rules do not prescribe a form, but they do require records to be complete and provable. In practice that means five items for every entry:

• Date and time of the measurement.
• The unit the record belongs to. That is why each sheet covers one unit, not the whole kitchen.
• The measured temperature and the limit it is compared with.
• Initials of the person who measured.
• Corrective action if the value was out of range: what happened to the stock and what you did with the unit.

The sheet header also has room for the instrument and the date its calibration is valid until. That is exactly what metrology inspectors ask about when they visit alongside food hygiene inspectors.

How often to measure and which limits to write down

The established minimum is two checks a day, in the morning at opening and in the evening before closing. More often for sensitive stock such as meat or confectionery. Limits come from your HACCP plan, these are the usual ones:

• Fridge: up to +5 °C, often 0 to +4 °C for meat and dairy.
• Freezer: −18 °C and below.
• Hot holding: above +60 °C.

Where to measure inside a fridge and why the temperature at the door differs from the middle is covered in measuring temperature in fridges and freezers.

What a correctly filled-in row looks like

Day 12, first check 7:40, temperature 3.5 °C, initials. Second check 18:10, temperature 6.8 °C, initials, and in the last column: "door not closed properly, stock moved to fridge 2, re-checked at 19:00: 4.1 °C". That is the row an inspector wants to see. A value out of range is not the problem. A value out of range with no reaction is.

Where inspections most often fail

• Backfilling. A whole week in one pen with the same round numbers tells the inspector nobody measured.
• Gaps in the records. Weekends, holidays, night operations. There should be a record every day.
• Breaches without action. The filled-in corrective action column matters more than the number itself.
• An uncalibrated thermometer. Records from an instrument without a calibration document may not be accepted.

What inspectors actually look for and what fines apply is covered in temperature record inspections.

How long to keep the records

No single retention period is prescribed. The usual guidance is at least the shelf life of the products, and 1 to 2 years is common practice. File completed sheets by month so you can find them instantly at an inspection.

When you no longer want to fill in paper

With one or two fridges, paper is enough. With more units, rotating staff or a site that stands empty overnight, paper becomes a risk. Automatic records are created by themselves, continuously, with everything an inspection requires, and a limit breach sends an alarm to your phone. See what it would cost for your site in the pricing configurator.

Legal basis: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs requires records appropriate to the nature and size of the business and does not prescribe their form.