How Often Should Fridge Temperatures Be Checked?

The Food Standards Agency recommends that fridge temperatures in commercial food premises are checked and recorded at least twice daily. The standard practice is to take readings at the start of the working day (before the kitchen becomes busy and doors are being opened frequently) and again at the end of service or close of business. Some businesses with high-risk operations, such as care homes or hospitals, may check more frequently — every four hours is common in such settings. This requirement stems from the need to demonstrate due diligence under food safety law. While the regulations do not specify an exact frequency in statute, the SFBB pack and general HACCP guidance both call for regular, documented temperature monitoring. During an EHO inspection, officers will ask to see your temperature records. Gaps in recording — even if your fridges are actually running at the correct temperature — will be viewed negatively and can lower your score on the confidence in management criterion, which directly affects your food hygiene rating. The records themselves should include the date, time, fridge identifier (if you have multiple units), the temperature reading, who took the reading, and any corrective action taken if the temperature was out of range. Many businesses use pre-printed log sheets, but digital temperature monitoring solutions are increasingly common and can provide continuous logging, automated alerts, and audit trails that make compliance much simpler to demonstrate.