UKAS accredited calibration laboratory No. 10723

Book a 20-minute check

Food guidance · 30 questions

Hot holding, display and deliveries in catering and retail

63 °C hot holding, the time limits for food on display, cooling, reheating and delivery checks: what the regulations say, what Safer Food, Better Business and CookSafe add, and where the nations differ.

Read the guideBook a 20-minute check
Reviewed by Jake Farrow, Managing DirectorLast reviewed 19 October 2026

Hot food must be held at 63 °C or above, with one period of under two hours allowed below it in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Chilled food on display may go above 8 °C once, for under four hours. Scotland has neither allowance and requires reheating to 82 °C. Each allowance is a defence, so you need records that prove the time.

Why it matters

Kitchens and shop floors are where the time rules live

Catering and retail have more temperature changes per hour than anywhere else in the chain: deliveries arrive warm, food goes out on display, hot food sits in a bain-marie and leftovers have to cool. The law recognises this with time allowances, and every one of them depends on being able to prove the time.

It is also where ratings are decided. Under the FSA's Brand Standard, a score of 10 on hygiene, which on its own caps a business at a 4, is illustrated by fridges 'generally below 8°C but some evidence of rising above such as when busy, some lapses in monitoring of critical control points'.

What the rules say

63 °C, two hours and four hours

Schedule 4 of the 2013 England Regulations makes it an offence to keep hot food that needs to be held hot below 63 °C (paragraph 6). The defence in paragraph 7 allows food on service or display below 63 °C 'for a period of less than two hours', once. For chilled food, paragraph 5 allows food on service or display above 8 °C for 'a period of less than four hours', also once. Wales and Northern Ireland are the same.

Scotland differs in three ways under its 2006 Regulations: food must be refrigerated, in a cool ventilated place or held above 63 °C, but food exposed for sale is exempt, so there is no statutory hot-holding temperature on the counter and no two-hour or four-hour defence (FSS guidance, CookSafe, expects above 63 °C); and reheated food must reach 'not less than 82°C', unless that would spoil it. England, Wales and Northern Ireland have no legal reheating temperature.

What SFBB, Safe Catering and CookSafe add

SFBB turns the defences into kitchen rules. Its hot holding method says food out of hot holding for up to two hours can be reheated or chilled once; after that it is thrown away. Its chilled display method gives the 'four hour rule' and says fridges and chilled display should be checked 'at least once a day starting with your opening checks'. For cooking, the FSA's standard advice is a core of 70 °C for 2 minutes or an equivalent such as 75 °C for 30 seconds.

On cooling, the current SFBB pack gives no time: cool 'as quickly as possible', then prove your method by probing. Other official guides do give times: Northern Ireland's Safe Catering says into the fridge 'within two hours', and Scotland's ButcherSafe allows no more than 90 minutes at ambient for small items. On deliveries, SFBB sets no temperature; Safe Catering says reject chilled ready-to-eat food above 8 °C, and CookSafe suggests your own limit, 'for example 5°C or below'.

Hot food rules, by nation
  1. LawEngland, Wales, NI
    • Hot hold at or above 63 °C
    • Below 63 °C once, under 2 hours
    • No legal reheat figure (70 °C for 2 min advised)
  2. LawScotland
    • Chill or above 63 °C; food on sale exempt
    • No two-hour defence
    • Reheat to 82 °C or more
  3. FSAI guidanceIreland
    • Hold above 63 °C
    • Use within two hours if not held hot
    • Reheat once, 70 °C or more at the core

Schedule 4 of the England 2013, Wales 2006, Northern Ireland 2006 and Scotland 2006 Regulations; FSAI guidance for Ireland.

What good looks like

Time-stamp everything that leaves temperature control

A defence you cannot prove is not a defence. A label with the time out on a buffet tray, a hot holding sheet with probe readings, a delivery record with a temperature and a signature: these are what turn the two-hour and four-hour rules from a hope into evidence. SFBB's diary and 4-weekly review give small businesses the structure; larger operations usually add loggers on fridges and bain-maries.

For deliveries, put the acceptance figures in your supplier agreement so the driver knows them before arriving, probe between packs rather than piercing, and record the result even when you accept.

Worked example

A carvery on a Sunday

This is an illustrative example; times and readings are invented. A pub in England runs a Sunday carvery with joints held hot and cold desserts on an unchilled counter.

12:00, joints into the hot cabinet at 68 °C, desserts out on the counter with a 12:00 label. 14:00, the hot cabinet probe reads 61 °C: the joints have been below 63 °C for an unknown time, so the chef treats the 2-hour clock as started at the last good reading, at 13:00 (hourly probe readings at 12:00 and 13:00), and reheats them to steaming hot. 15:50, the desserts come off the counter after 3 hours 50 minutes. They can go back in the fridge at 8 °C or below, but not on display again; the chef chooses to discard them, as the time left is too short to be useful.

What changes: the hot cabinet is serviced, a logger is added so the time below 63 °C is known rather than guessed, and desserts go out in smaller batches.

Where it is unclear

Cooling and delivery figures that do not agree

Cooling is the clearest gap. UK law says 'as quickly as possible'; SFBB gives no time; Safe Catering says two hours to the fridge; ButcherSafe gives 90 minutes at ambient; the FSAI says two hours; and cook-chill has its own 150-minute rule. Delivery acceptance figures differ too. Both are compared under where the rules differ.

The time defences also leave open how you prove the time, and how often hot holding should be probed: SFBB does not say, while Safe Catering says every two hours for food on display longer than two hours.

Inspection findings

What officers check

The FSA Practice Guidance reminds officers that the four-hour and two-hour tolerances apply once only and that they 'need to be satisfied that the FBO has measures in place' to keep within them. It also says food above 8 °C 'can still be fit for consumption', so the officer looks at its history. In Scotland the FHIS gives Pass or Improvement Required; 92.6% of Scottish businesses had a Pass in December 2024, according to Our Food 2024.

In summary

The short version

  • Hot food must be held at or above 63 °C in England, Wales and NI; Scotland sets no statutory hot-holding temperature for food on sale, and CookSafe expects above 63 °C.
  • England, Wales and NI allow one period under 2 hours below 63 °C and one under 4 hours above 8 °C on display.
  • Scotland has no time defences and requires reheating to 82 °C.
  • Cooling has no legal time; validate your method and keep the proof.
  • Time-stamp food that leaves temperature control and record hot holding checks.
  • Put delivery acceptance figures in supplier agreements and record each check.

Catering and retail

Questions, answered from the source

Last checked 19 October 2026. Each answer links to its source and says whether it is law, formal guidance or interpretation.

Are the temperature rules in Wales and Northern Ireland the same as England?Law

In substance, yes. Schedule 4 of the Food Hygiene (Wales) Regulations 2006 and Schedule 4 of the Food Hygiene Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 contain the same structure and figures as England: an offence above 8 °C (para 2), the same general exemptions (para 3), the manufacturer's upward variation backed by 'a well-founded scientific assessment' (para 4), the four-hour display and the transfer, defrost and breakdown defences (para 5), the hot holding offence below 63 °C (para 6) and the scientific assessment and two-hour defences (para 7).

What's agreed, and what isn't

Differences are in drafting only: Wales says 'will be guilty of an offence', Northern Ireland 'shall be guilty' and refers to the 'ultimate consumer' for mail order, and the poultry and egg exemptions in para 3(f) and (g) cite updated marketing regulations (amended 2018 in Wales, 2019 in Northern Ireland). Neither has a reheating temperature. Both exclude operations to which 853/2004 applies.

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers, Food distribution and transport, Cold stores
Last checked
18 October 2026
Does Scotland have an 8 °C chill limit in law?Law

No. Paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 4 to the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 makes it an offence to keep food on which a commercial operation is being carried out otherwise than '(a) in a refrigerator or refrigerating chamber or in a cool ventilated place; or (b) at a temperature above 63°C'. Paragraph 2(2) disapplies this for food undergoing preparation for sale, food exposed for sale or sold to a consumer, food being cooled 'as quickly as possible to a temperature which would not result in a risk to health' after cooking or final processing, food it is reasonable to keep otherwise for convenient sale, shelf-stable ambient food, and listed poultry and egg products.

What's agreed, and what isn't

Scotland's law sets no numeric chill temperature, so the working figure has to come from the HACCP plan and Food Standards Scotland guidance. Note the hot wording also differs: 'above 63°C' in Scotland against 'at or above 63 °C' (England, Wales, Northern Ireland). As in England, the Schedule applies only where 852/2004 applies but 853/2004 does not (para 1(1)), and not on ships or aircraft.

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers, Food distribution and transport
Last checked
18 October 2026
What is the legal maximum chill temperature for food in England?Law

Schedule 4, paragraph 2(1) of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 makes it an offence to keep food 'which is likely to support the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms or the formation of toxins', and on which a commercial operation is being carried out, 'at or in food premises at a temperature above 8 °C'. Regulation 32 gives Schedule 4 effect. Food conveyed to the final consumer by mail order is excluded from the 8 °C rule (para 2(2)), but must not be supplied at a temperature that has given rise to, or is likely to give rise to, a risk to health (para 2(3)).

What's agreed, and what isn't

8 °C is a legal ceiling, not a target. The law does not specify a target operating temperature, so many businesses set 5 °C or lower as a working limit; that is a business decision, not a legal figure. Under para 1(1)(a) Schedule 4 does not apply to food business operations to which Regulation 853/2004 applies (approved establishments handling products of animal origin). Where 853/2004 sets a figure (7 °C meat, 3 °C offal, 4 °C poultry, 2 °C mince), that is the legal limit; for other products in approved premises the limit comes from the HACCP plan under the general duty in 852/2004. Schedule 4 also does not apply on ships or aircraft. The law is silent on how the temperature is measured (air or product) and how often.

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers, Food distribution and transport, Cold stores
Last checked
18 October 2026
Which foods are exempt from the 8 °C chill requirement in England?Law

Paragraph 3 of Schedule 4 lists the general exemptions: (a) cooked or reheated food for service or on display that needs to be kept at or above 63 °C; (b) food that 'for the duration of its shelf life may be kept at ambient temperatures with no risk to health'; (c) food processed (for example by dehydration or canning) to prevent growth at ambient, but not once a hermetically sealed container has been opened; (d) food that must be ripened or matured at ambient, until ripening is complete; (e) raw food intended for further processing (including cooking) that will make it fit to eat if done correctly; and (f) and (g) foods covered by the poultrymeat and egg marketing rules cited.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The exemptions are categories of food, not time allowances. Opened canned or dehydrated food falls back under the 8 °C rule. Whether a product genuinely 'may be kept at ambient temperatures with no risk to health' is a judgement for the producer, ideally backed by evidence. Wales and Northern Ireland have the same list; Scotland's Schedule 4 is drafted differently (see the Scotland item).

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers, Food distribution and transport
Last checked
18 October 2026
If an inspector finds food above 8 °C, is it automatically an offence or unfit?Guidance

Section 8.9.10 of the Food Law Practice Guidance (England) reminds officers that the regulations allow chilled food on service or display 'to rise above 8ºC for one period only of less than four hours', and section 8.9.11 that hot-held food may fall below 63 °C 'for one period only of less than 2 hours', citing schedule 4 paragraphs 5 and 7 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. The officer 'needs to be satisfied that the FBO has measures in place' so these tolerances are not exceeded. Section 8.9.12 says food above 8 °C 'can still be fit for consumption' and officers should look at the history of the food and how likely it is that food is consistently placed on the market at those temperatures.

What's agreed, and what isn't

Where the officer considers food was not produced or distributed in line with the 2013 Regulations, it can be dealt with under regulation 29 (seizure or detention), though voluntary removal can be used. The guidance allows an educative first step. It does not specify how a business proves a single period of under four hours; time-stamped monitoring or a documented display procedure is the usual evidence, so agree the approach with your EHO. Schedule 4 does not apply where Regulation 853/2004 applies.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Food retail, Catering, Food distribution and transport, Food manufacturers
Last checked
18 October 2026
What sort of temperature failings does an inspector score as minor versus serious on the hygiene rating?Guidance

The Brand Standard's Table 1 describes what each hygiene score looks like in practice. A score of 10 ('some non-compliance... not considered significant in terms of risk') gives the example 'high-risk food held under refrigeration generally below 8°C but some evidence of rising above such as when busy, some lapses in monitoring of critical control points'. A score of 20 describes a 'poor standard of hygienic food handling, temperature control'. A score of 25 ('almost total non-compliance') includes 'inadequate temperature control for high-risk foods', 'food kept out of temperature control' and 'fridge not operating at correct temperature'. Scores of 5 and 0 require safe preparation, cooking, reheating, cooling and storage to be demonstrated.

What's agreed, and what isn't

Because a 5 rating needs no individual score above 5, the score-10 example (fridges drifting above 8 °C when busy, or gaps in CCP monitoring) is on its own enough to cap a business at a 4. The descriptors are illustrations; the Brand Standard says the Code of Practice wording governs and the table complements rather than replaces it. The descriptors do not specify how many readings, or how far above 8 °C, moves a business from one score to the next; that is left to the officer's judgement, so it is worth asking the EHO what they saw if a score is unclear.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers, Food distribution and transport
Last checked
18 October 2026
What freezer temperature does SFBB for retailers give, and how often should freezers be checked?Guidance

SFBB's 'Frozen storage and display' safe method for retailers says: 'It is good practice to keep frozen food at -18˚C or colder.' It adds that food labelled 'Quick frozen' 'must be stored at -18˚C or colder, or displayed at -12˚C or colder'. You should check freezing equipment temperatures 'at least once a day starting with your opening checks', and check in between frozen food as well. Food that has begun to defrost should be thrown away unless it is meant to be sold defrosted, and must not be refrozen.

What's agreed, and what isn't

For general frozen food, −18 °C is described as good practice, not a legal limit, in this guide. For food sold as quick-frozen, the −18 °C storage figure and the −12 °C retail cabinet limit are in law: Schedule 2 to the Quick-frozen Foodstuffs (England) Regulations 2007 (see the quick-frozen item). Scotland's RetailSafe says it may be sufficient to check that freezer contents are 'still obviously frozen', with occasional thermometer checks.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Food retail, Catering
Last checked
18 October 2026
How is a food hygiene rating actually worked out, and where does temperature control come into it?Guidance

Under the FSA's Brand Standard (Revision 8, June 2023), the rating is calculated from three elements of the food hygiene intervention rating scheme in the Food Law Code of Practice: compliance with food hygiene and safety procedures 'including food handling practices and procedures, and temperature control'; compliance with structural requirements; and confidence in management/control procedures (paragraph 3.2). Hygiene and structure are each scored 0 to 25 in steps of 5; confidence in management is scored 0, 5, 10, 20 or 30. The three are added, and the total is mapped to a rating, but the highest single score also caps the rating (Table 3). A total of 0 to 15 with no individual score above 5 gives a 5; a total of 20 with no score above 10 gives a 4; 25 to 30 with no score above 10 gives a 3; 35 to 40 with no score above 15 gives a 2; 45 to 50 with no score above 20 gives a 1; above 50 gives a 0. The Brand Standard's own example: scores of 5, 5 and 20 total 30 but give a rating of 1 (Table 4).

What's agreed, and what isn't

Temperature control sits inside the hygiene element, so one poor temperature finding can cap the whole rating even if structure and management score well. The Brand Standard applies to England; Wales and Northern Ireland use statutory guidance under their own Acts, which the FSA publishes alongside it, but the scoring basis is the same intervention rating scheme. The document says no rating can be based on self-assessment by the business. Scotland does not use this scheme (see the FHIS item).

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers, Food distribution and transport, Cold stores
Last checked
18 October 2026
Do we have to display our food hygiene rating sticker?Law

In Wales, section 7 of the Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013 says that once notified the operator 'must display the food hygiene rating sticker provided', after the 21-day appeal period. In Northern Ireland, section 7 of the Food Hygiene Rating Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 says the operator 'must ensure that a valid sticker showing the establishment's food hygiene rating is displayed'. In England display is voluntary: the FSA's business guidance says 'You can display your rating in your premises' window or door'. All ratings are published online whether or not a sticker is shown.

What's agreed, and what isn't

England and the devolved nations differ only on display; the scoring basis is shared. Location and manner of display in Wales and Northern Ireland are set by regulations made under each Act, which this item does not cover. Scotland runs a different scheme (FHIS) where display is also not required.

Source
Food Hygiene Rating (Wales) Act 2013, section 7 UK Parliament (legislation.gov.uk), 2013
Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
How long can chilled food be on display above 8 °C in England?Law

Paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 4 gives a defence if the food was for service or on display for sale, had not previously been kept for service or display above 8 °C (or the recommended temperature), and 'had been kept for service or on display for sale for a period of less than four hours'. The four-hour figure is in the chill provisions; the separate two-hour figure applies to hot holding below 63 °C (paragraph 7(2)).

What's agreed, and what isn't

It is a one-off allowance: food that has already had a period of display above 8 °C cannot use it again. The burden is on the business to prove the time, so a record of when food went out is what makes the defence usable. The regulation is silent on how that time should be recorded. Wales and Northern Ireland have the same four-hour defence; Scotland differs, exempting food 'exposed for sale' from its chill requirement altogether.

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
Is there a legal cooling time for cooked food?Law

No fixed time. Annex II, Chapter IX, paragraph 6 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 says foods to be held or served chilled 'are to be cooled as quickly as possible following the heat-processing stage, or final preparation stage if no heat process is applied, to a temperature which does not result in a risk to health'. Paragraph 7 says thawing is to minimise pathogen growth, foods are to be 'subjected to temperatures that would not result in a risk to health', and risky run-off liquid is to be adequately drained.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The regulation does not specify a cooling time or end temperature; numeric cooling targets come from guidance and the business's HACCP plan. Scotland's Schedule 4, para 2(2)(c), repeats the 'as quickly as possible' wording for food being cooled. For fishery products, 853/2004 says 'Rapid cooling must follow cooking' until 'a temperature approaching that of melting ice' if no other preservation is used.

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food manufacturers, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
Is there a legal reheating temperature?Law

In Scotland, yes. Paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 4 to the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 requires food that has been heated in a commercial operation and is then reheated before being served for immediate consumption or exposed for sale to be 'raised to a temperature of not less than 82°C'. Paragraph 3(3) gives a defence where the food 'could not have been raised to a temperature of not less than 82°C without a deterioration of its qualities'.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The regimes differ. The England, Wales and Northern Ireland Schedules contain no reheating temperature at all; they only refer to 'cooked or reheated' food in the hot holding rules. Any reheating figure used in those nations comes from guidance or the business's own HACCP, not from Schedule 4. The Scottish law is silent on how long the 82 °C must be held.

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
What temperature must hot food be held at in England, and is there a time allowance below 63 °C?Law

Paragraph 6 of Schedule 4 makes it an offence to keep, below 63 °C, food that has been cooked or reheated, is for service or on display for sale, and needs to be kept at or above 63 °C to control pathogen growth or toxin formation. Paragraph 7 gives two defences: (1) a 'well-founded scientific assessment' concluding there is no risk at a lower holding temperature for a specified time, with the food held in line with it; or (2) the food 'had been kept for service or on display for sale for a period of less than two hours' and had not previously been so kept by that person.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The two-hour allowance is for hot holding, not chilled display (which has four hours). Like the chill tolerance, it can only be used once by that person. Wales and Northern Ireland have the same 63 °C and two-hour wording. Scotland's text differs: its offence is keeping food otherwise than chilled or 'at a temperature above 63°C', and it has no two-hour defence; instead food exposed for sale is outside the requirement. The law does not specify how often hot holding temperatures should be checked.

Status
Law
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
Do we have to reheat food to 82 °C in Scotland?Guidance

Yes. The FSA guidance (paragraphs 62 to 66) says that in Scotland reheated foods 'must be raised to a temperature of not less than 82ºC' and that 'There is no equivalent requirement in the rest of the U.K.' There is a defence where the food 'could not have been raised to a temperature of not less than 82ºC without a deterioration of its qualities'. CookSafe tells caterers to reheat 'until the core temperature is not less than 82°C', with an alternative such as '70°C for 2 minutes' where 82 °C would spoil the food, and to reheat only once.

What's agreed, and what isn't

This is a clear difference between nations: England, Wales and Northern Ireland guidance uses time and temperature combinations (for example 70 °C for 2 minutes, or 75 °C in Safe Catering) with no fixed legal reheating temperature. The 82 °C rule applies to food heated in a commercial operation and reheated before serving or display. Once food exceeds 82 °C it may then be held above 63 °C.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
Does SFBB say hot food must be cooled within 90 minutes?Guidance

No. The current SFBB caterers 'Chilling down hot food' safe method says to chill cooked food you will not serve immediately 'as quickly as possible and then put it in the fridge', and lists methods (smaller portions, shallow trays, cold water or ice, stirring, a blast chiller). It gives no time limit. Instead it asks you to prove your method once by probing the food after cooking and 'at regular intervals' to see how fast it cools. The FSA temperature control guidance (paragraph 18) says cooling time 'must be consistent with food safety' and that 'Cooling will always be a step that is critical to food safety.'

What's agreed, and what isn't

The widely quoted 90-minute figure is not in the current SFBB caterers pack (we searched the full pack). Other official guidance does give times, and they differ: Northern Ireland's Safe Catering says put cooled food in the fridge or freezer 'within two hours'; Scotland's ButcherSafe says cool small items 'for no longer than 90 minutes at ambient temperature', and gives longer schedules for joints. The law (Regulation 852/2004 Annex II Chapter IX point 6) says only 'as quickly as possible'. Agree a validated cooling time with your EHO or set one in your HACCP plan.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers
Last checked
18 October 2026
Does the FSA E. coli O157 guidance require separate fridges for raw and ready-to-eat food?Guidance

Not strictly. The FSA's E. coli O157 cross-contamination guidance is mainly about separation, cleaning and disinfection, not temperatures. On storage it says: 'If possible use separate storage and display facilities for raw and ready-to-eat food.' The same fridge can be used 'if the storage space is of sufficient size and the food is stored in such a way that contamination is avoided', which often means raw food stored below ready-to-eat food. Separate refrigerators, freezers and display units are described as good practice.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The document's only temperature content in this area is a quotation of the general cold chain duty in Regulation 852/2004 Annex II Chapter IX point 5; it sets no storage temperature. It is FSA guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (version 4, 2019; republished on GOV.UK on 23 January 2024), with a separate publication for Scotland. Its main temperature figure is for disinfection (boiling water above 80 °C), which is outside monitoring of chilled storage.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food manufacturers
Last checked
18 October 2026
How do hygiene ratings work in Scotland, and how many businesses pass?Guidance

Scotland uses the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS), run by Food Standards Scotland with the 32 local authorities. An inspection gives either 'Pass' (the business meets the legal food hygiene requirements) or 'Improvement Required' (it 'didn't meet the legal requirements and needs to make improvements'). The FSA and FSS Our Food 2024 review reports that 92.6% of Scottish businesses in the scheme had a Pass as of December 2024, and that 17.2% (12,533 of 72,950) of registered businesses were unrated in December 2024.

What's agreed, and what isn't

FHIS has two outcomes rather than six, so it is not directly comparable with FHRS figures. The FSS consumer page says businesses 'may choose not to display their rating'; it does not say display is mandatory. FHIS outcomes sit on top of the Scottish Food Law Rating System, which is separate from the English intervention rating scheme. FSS does not publish a breakdown of Improvement Required outcomes by cause, so the share relating to temperature control is not known.

Source
Food Hygiene Information Scheme consumer info Food Standards Scotland, undated
Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
How long can chilled food sit out on a buffet or counter?Guidance

SFBB says cold food on display should be kept at 8 °C or below in suitable chilled display equipment. Where that is not possible there is a 'four hour rule' exception: food can be displayed out of chilled storage 'for up to four hours, but you can only do this once'. Food out for less than four hours can go back in the fridge at 8 °C or below until used; 'If it has been out for more than four hours it must be thrown away.' The FSA's temperature control guidance (paragraphs 42 to 44) explains this as a legal defence that allows a single period of less than four hours.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The four-hour rule is a defence in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland regulations, and the business must be able to prove it (labels with the time out, or a diary note, are what SFBB suggests). It applies once only. The FSA guidance notes that Scotland's regulations specify no such tolerance periods. A business using it still needs its HACCP-based procedures to control the hazard (guidance paragraph 46).

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
How quickly does the FSAI expect cooked food to be cooled in a kitchen?Guidance

The FSAI says food that will not be eaten immediately 'should be cooled as quickly as possible and put in the fridge within two hours'. It suggests blast chillers, smaller portions, shallow containers, ice baths and stirring to achieve this. The FSAI Safe Catering record form SC3 repeats the rule ('cool food as quickly as possible and place in fridge within 2 hours') and asks for the time cooking finished and the time the food went into the fridge or blast chiller to be recorded.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The two-hour figure is time to the fridge, not a time to reach a set core temperature. Cook-chill operations are held to a tighter, temperature-based standard in FSAI Guidance Note 15 (≤3 °C within 150 minutes) and industrial heat-chill processors to Guidance Note 20. Irish law does not specify a cooling time; the EU requirement is that cooling is done 'as quickly as possible' to a temperature that does not result in a risk to health (852/2004, Annex II, Chapter IX). UK FSA guidance uses a different, chill-to-temperature approach, so cooling rules differ between the two jurisdictions.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
Is there any official guidance with specific cooling times for cooked meat?Guidance

Yes, FSS's ButcherSafe temperature control house rules. It says 'Active cooling should start within 90 minutes of the end of cooking', with the aim of cooling to 5 °C as quickly as possible through the 'temperature danger zone (from 63˚C to 5˚C)'. Small items such as pies should be cooled 'for no longer than 90 minutes at ambient temperature' before chilled storage. For uncured joints it gives good practice of 1 hour to 50 °C, 6 hours from 50 °C to 12 °C and 1 hour from 12 °C to 5 °C (8 hours total, 10 hours maximum); cured joints such as hams total 10 hours (12½ hours maximum).

What's agreed, and what isn't

This is Scottish guidance for butchers, not a legal limit, and the danger zone it uses (63 °C to 5 °C) differs from the FSA consumer guidance (8 °C to 63 °C). It says the cooling method must be validated and then followed exactly, including quantity and weight. It recommends a calibrated thermograph or data logger where staff are not present to probe at the end of overnight cooking. England's SFBB gives no cooling time.

Source
ButcherSafe: House rules: Temperature control: Guidance Food Standards Scotland, November 2013
Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Food retail, Food manufacturers
Last checked
18 October 2026
What are the FSAI time and temperature limits for a cook-chill system in catering?Guidance

FSAI Guidance Note No. 15 (Revision 2, 2018) says a cook-chill system must include cooking to a core of 75 °C instantaneously (or equivalent), 'rapid chilling to ≤3 °C in not greater than 150 minutes', storage at ≤3 °C and regeneration to ≥70 °C before service. Chilling should start within 30 minutes of cooking finishing and reach ≤3 °C at the centre within a further 120 minutes. Cook-chill shelf life must not exceed five days, including the day of production and the day of consumption. If food rises above 5 °C but not above 10 °C in storage or distribution, it should be consumed within four hours.

What's agreed, and what isn't

Large whole meat joints have a separate target: ≤3 °C within six hours, with no more than four hours between 50 °C and 12 °C. GN15 asks for a calibrated probe 'with an accuracy of ± 0.5 °C'. Note that GN15 lists frozen deliveries as 'Frozen food ≥ –18 °C', which appears to be a typographical error for ≤ −18 °C; the FSAI's own Safe Catering forms say 'less than or equal to −18 °C'. The guidance note says it 'is not a legal document', so the figures are guidance, but inspectors use them.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering
Last checked
18 October 2026
What are the Irish figures for hot holding and reheating, and how do they compare with the UK?Guidance

The FSAI advises keeping hot food 'above 63° C (for example in a bain marie)' and says that if cooked food is not stored above 63 °C 'it should be used up within two hours of cooking'. Food must only be reheated once following cooking or hot holding, to 'greater than or equal to 70° C at the core'. Cooking should reach a core of 75 °C instantaneously or an equivalent such as 70 °C for two minutes.

What's agreed, and what isn't

In Ireland these are guidance figures; no Irish statute sets them. The UK nations differ: in England, Schedule 4 paragraph 6 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 makes hot holding below 63 °C an offence (with a two-hour defence), and in Scotland, Schedule 4 paragraph 3 of the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 requires reheated food to reach 'not less than 82°C' unless that would spoil its quality. A business operating on both islands should design to 82 °C reheating for Scottish sites and can use 70 °C in Ireland. FSAI Guidance Note 15 adds that regenerated cook-chill food held hot should typically be held no longer than two hours, for quality reasons.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
What core temperature does the FSA say food must reach when cooked or reheated?Guidance

The FSA's business guidance says: 'Standard advice is to cook food until it has reached a core temperature of 70°C for 2 minutes.' Other safe combinations it lists are 60 °C for 45 minutes, 65 °C for 10 minutes, 75 °C for 30 seconds and 80 °C for 6 seconds. For reheating it says 'Reheating means cooking food again, not just warming it up', reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only reheat once. SFBB's reheating safe method points back to the same cooking time and temperature combinations.

What's agreed, and what isn't

England and Wales guidance sets no single legal reheating temperature. Scotland differs: reheated food must reach not less than 82 °C by law (see the Scotland reheating item). Northern Ireland's Safe Catering pack uses 75 °C as its example critical limit for cooking and reheating. The figures are core (centre or thickest part) temperatures, measured with a clean, disinfected probe.

Source
Food hygiene for businesses: Cooking food safely FSA (published on GOV.UK), 25 June 2026
Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
What temperature must hot-held food be kept at, and what is the two-hour rule?Guidance

SFBB's 'Hot holding' safe method says: 'Hot food must be kept at 63°C or above, except for certain exceptions.' If hot holding equipment cannot be used for display, you can take food out of hot holding 'for up to two hours, but you can only do this once'. After that it should be reheated until steaming hot and returned to hot holding, or chilled down as quickly as possible to 8 °C or below; if it has been out for more than two hours, throw it away. Prove it with a disinfected probe in the centre or thickest part.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The two-hour period is a defence under the England, Wales and Northern Ireland regulations (FSA temperature control guidance paragraphs 57 to 58). Scotland differs: food must be kept 'above 63ºC' (not 'at or above'), and no tolerance period is specified. SFBB does not specify how often hot-held food should be probed. Northern Ireland's Safe Catering pack says that if hot food is on display for more than two hours, measure the temperature every two hours.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
What temperature should chilled and frozen deliveries be when we accept them?Guidance

SFBB gives no delivery temperature. Its stock control method says to check deliveries to make sure food 'has been kept cold enough', carry out 'regular delivery time, temperature and quality spot checks', and reject a delivery you think has not been handled safely. Northern Ireland's Safe Catering gives figures: make sure chilled ready-to-eat food 'is delivered below 8 °C' and reject it if above 8 °C; frozen food should be delivered frozen and rejected if showing signs of defrosting. Its delivery record says that for large deliveries, 'monitor one or two food products'.

What's agreed, and what isn't

The figures differ between guides. Scotland's CookSafe and RetailSafe suggest your own specified temperature, 'for example 5°C or below' for chilled and '–18°C or below' for frozen. Safe Catering also says some manufacturers specify lower storage temperatures, and you must check these are not exceeded on delivery. No FSA or FSS guide sets a tolerance for frozen deliveries; the legal tolerances for quick-frozen food sit in separate regulations. Put your acceptance limits in your supplier agreement.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail, Food distribution and transport
Last checked
18 October 2026
What do real prosecutions involving temperature control look like?Interpretation

In a case published by Hillingdon Council in May 2025, a takeaway pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 after officers found a broken fridge, a walk-in freezer 'sounding an alarm displaying a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius', no shelf-life or temperature controls for cooked and hot food, and dirty probe thermometers with no means to sanitise them. It received a 0 rating and hygiene improvement notices, and was ordered to pay £16,491.20. In a Kirklees Council case (May 2025), chilled foods 'were shown to be far above the legal limit of 8°C', notices were not complied with, and the owner was ordered to pay £6,672.33.

What's agreed, and what isn't

These are individual council press releases, not a national dataset; in both, temperature was one of several failings alongside cleaning, training and non-compliance with notices. They show the usual sequence: inspection findings, a low rating, improvement notices, revisits, then prosecution for continued breaches. No national data break out how many prosecutions cite temperature control.

Status
Interpretation
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
19 October 2026
How often does SFBB say we must check fridge and chilled display temperatures?Guidance

SFBB's 'Chilled storage and displaying chilled food' safe method says you should check fridges and chilled display equipment 'at least once a day starting with your opening checks'. If you rely on the unit's digital display or dial, you 'should check regularly' that it is accurate using a fridge thermometer or probe thermometer. To confirm equipment is working properly, it says to check temperatures 'in-between packs of chilled food using a clean, disinfected probe thermometer'.

What's agreed, and what isn't

Once a day is a minimum for small caterers and retailers using SFBB. It does not specify how often to cross-check the display against a thermometer ('regularly'). The Northern Ireland Safe Catering pack says the same ('at least once per day') and adds that 'some businesses may wish to check fridges more frequently'; its record sheet has AM and PM columns. CookSafe (Scotland) leaves the frequency to the business but calls a start-of-day check plus a check 'at some other part of the day' advisable. None of these documents mention continuous loggers or alarms; they are silent on them, neither requiring nor excluding them.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
How often should fridges be checked and what delivery temperatures should we accept under the FSAI Safe Catering system?Guidance

The FSAI Safe Catering record book SC2 says fridge and freezer temperatures should be checked 'at least once per day', with an AM and PM column, and allows either food temperature (a dummy food or a core or surface probe) or air temperature (a probe in the unit or the display gauge). The delivery record SC1 and the transport record SC9 give acceptance figures of chilled food 0 °C to 5 °C, frozen food 'less than or equal to −18 °C' and hot food at or above 63 °C, and suggest checking one or two products from large deliveries.

What's agreed, and what isn't

Safe Catering is one of the Irish national guides on the EU register, so it carries weight with inspectors, but the once-a-day check is a minimum recommendation, not a legal frequency. The forms do not specify what to do between checks or how quickly to act on a high reading (the SC2 example shows a gauge adjusted and re-checked one hour later). Continuous monitoring is not required by the pack.

Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering, Food retail
Last checked
18 October 2026
Should a caterer keep eggs in the fridge?Guidance

Ideally, yes. The FSA's advice on eggs for catering says to 'store eggs in a cool, dry place, ideally keep refrigerated until use', and its checklist says 'refrigerate eggs where possible'. Pooled liquid egg should be kept refrigerated and taken out in small amounts.

What's agreed, and what isn't

This is formal guidance for kitchens, after the supply chain. It does not contradict the marketing rule that eggs should in general not be refrigerated before sale: once eggs are in the kitchen, keep them cold and steady rather than moving them in and out of the fridge.

Source
Advice on safe storage, handling and use of eggs for catering FSA (published on GOV.UK), 20 August 2026
Status
Formal guidance
Applies to
Catering
Last checked
19 October 2026

Keep reading

Other topics

20-minute compliance check

How would your next audit or EHO visit go on temperature?

In 20 minutes we go through your stores, vehicles, alarms, calibration and records with you. You get the gaps in writing. No product tour.

Book a 20-minute check

or call 0121 794 8092

Strictly necessary storage (your light or dark choice, and this consent cookie) is always on. Analytics is off unless you turn it on.

Read the cookie policy