What Should I Do If a Fridge Is Too Warm or Stops Working?
A step-by-step corrective action plan for when a commercial fridge is running warm, the door was left open, or the unit has failed, including when food must be thrown away.
Check and record the temperature, find the cause, move stock to a working unit, and assess each food item. Food held above 8°C for more than 4 hours should be discarded. Log the incident and corrective action.
Key Facts
In Detail
A commercial fridge should run between 0°C and 5°C, with 8°C the absolute legal maximum. If you find a fridge running warm, the door left open, or the unit switched off, the first step is to check the actual temperature with a calibrated probe and record what you find. This reading, and the action you take, is exactly the kind of due diligence evidence an Environmental Health Officer will look for. Next, identify the cause. Common reasons are a door left ajar, an overloaded unit blocking airflow, damaged door seals, a tripped circuit, or a mechanical fault. Move the food into a working fridge or cold room straight away so it is not sitting in the danger zone (5°C to 63°C) while you investigate. Then assess the food itself. The key question is how long it has been above safe temperature. As a rule of thumb, chilled food held between 8°C and the start of the danger zone for under 2 hours can usually be returned to refrigeration; food held above 8°C for up to 4 hours should be used immediately or refrigerated and used that day; and food that has been above 8°C for more than 4 hours, or where you cannot be sure how long, should be discarded. When in doubt, throw it out, because you cannot see or smell the bacteria that cause food poisoning. Finally, record everything: the temperature found, the suspected cause, what you did with the food, and the repair or follow-up. If a fridge fault keeps recurring, log it against the equipment so you can show a pattern and justify a service or replacement.
Deciding Whether Food Is Still Safe
The safety of the food depends almost entirely on time and temperature. Bacteria multiply rapidly in the danger zone between 5°C and 63°C. High-risk foods such as cooked rice, dairy, raw and cooked meat, fish, and prepared salads are the most dangerous and should be treated cautiously. If you genuinely do not know how long a unit has been warm (for example it failed overnight), you must assume the worst and discard high-risk items. The small cost of throwing food away is far lower than the cost of making a customer ill, a closure, or a prosecution. Document your decision so you can demonstrate you acted responsibly.
Preventing Repeat Fridge Failures
Many fridge problems are avoidable. Train staff to close doors fully and never to prop them open during service. Do not overload units, and leave space at the back for airflow. Check and clean door seals regularly, and keep condenser coils clear of dust. Schedule planned servicing rather than waiting for a breakdown, and log every fault so recurring issues are visible. A digital monitoring system that alerts you when a unit drifts out of range is invaluable overnight or when the kitchen is unstaffed.
Frequently Asked Questions
A fridge was left off overnight. Can I still use the food?
No. If a fridge has been off or warm for an unknown period overnight, you must assume high-risk food has been in the danger zone for too long. Discard high-risk items and record the incident. Only food you can confirm stayed below 8°C, or for under the safe time limits, can be kept.
My fridge is reading 18°C. What do I do first?
Confirm the reading with a probe, then move the food to a working unit immediately. Find the cause (door, power, seals, overloading, fault). Assess each item by how long it has been warm, discarding high-risk food held above 8°C for more than 4 hours, and record everything you did.
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