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Temperatures
What temperature should a commercial fridge be?
The short answer
Chilled food must be kept at 8°C or below: that is the law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The FSA recommends setting your fridge to 5°C or below so it stays under 8°C even when the door is opened a lot.
Last checked 25 September 2026 against official guidance · see the sources.
| Temperature | |
|---|---|
| Legal maximum (England, Wales, NI) | 8°C or below |
| Recommended setting | 5°C or below |
How to keep your fridge in the safe range
- Check and record the temperature at least once a day, ideally at opening and closing.
- Use a probe thermometer on food, or a fridge thermometer, not just the display on the door.
- Don’t overload it: cold air needs space to move.
- Let hot food cool before it goes in (within one to two hours).
- If a reading is above 8°C, act straight away: move the food, check the seals and settings, and record what you did.
The 4-hour rule
Chilled food can be out of the fridge for up to 4 hours, for example on display or during service. After that it must be thrown away. If it has been out for less than 4 hours, it can go back in the fridge.
In Scotland the law doesn’t set the same 8°C figure; it requires food to be kept refrigerated or in a cool place. Food Standards Scotland advises keeping fridges at 0°C to 5°C.
Official sources
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