Food Safety Temperatures

Why you need it

Harmful bacteria can grow between 8°C and 63°C, and cooking food to the right core temperature is what kills them. Food law sets limits for chilled and hot-held food, and Scotland sets a minimum for reheating.

Staff need these figures in their heads, not in a folder. An environmental health officer may ask what temperatures your team works to and look at your records of checks.

What it’s for

The core temperatures for cooking and reheating, including the 82°C reheating rule in Scotland, hot holding at 63°C or above, fridges at 5°C or below with the 8°C legal maximum, and frozen storage. It belongs where food is cooked, checked and served.

How to use it

1. Print it on A4, laminate it, and fix it near the cooker or the pass where staff probe food.
2. Probe the thickest part of the food with a clean, disinfected probe rather than trusting the equipment dial.
3. Record each check, and write down what you did whenever a reading missed the target.
4. If hot-held food drops below 63°C, act straight away using your safe method.
5. Use it in induction training so every new starter learns the same figures.