Why should you check food temperatures every 2 hours?

The temperature range between 5°C and 60°C is known as Temperature Danger Zone. This is because in this zone food poisoning bacteria can grow to unsafe levels that can make you sick.

Keeping cold food cold

Keep your fridge below 5°C. At these temperatures most food poisoning bacteria stop growing or they grow slowly. Use a fridge thermometer to check that the temperature stays around 4 to 5°C. Also make sure you have enough fridge space as fridges won’t work properly when they are overloaded or when food is packed tightly because the cold air cannot circulate.

If you are running out of room in your fridge, remove foods that are not potentially hazardous, such as jams, pickles, vinegar-based dressings, bottled or canned drinks. The temperature of these foods is not critical for safety and they can be kept cool in insulated containers with ice or cold packs.

Freshly cooked food, not for immediate consumption, should be cooled to below the danger zone as quickly as possible. Divide food into small shallo containers and place in the fridge or freezer as soon as it stops steaming.

Keeping hot food hot

Hot food needs to be kept and served at 60°C or hotter. If you are keeping it warm for someone put it in the oven at 60°C or at 100°C if that is as low as your oven will go.

Two-hour/four-hour rule

Use the two-hour/four-hour guide below to work out what action you should take to avoid food poisoning if potentially hazardous food is held at temperatures in the danger zone.

Follow these 7 simple tips to keep your food out of the Temperature Danger Zone

1. Plan ahead. Don’t over cater as the greater the quantity of food you prepare the harder it is to keep it hot or cool enough until it is served. If you are catering for a lot of people prepare food as closely as you can to the time you will serve it.
2. Keep your fridge at or below 5°C. Use a fridge thermometer to check that the fridge temperature stays around 4 to 5°C. Also make sure you have enough room in the fridge because if the food is packed tightly the cold air cannot circulate.
3. Check the storage instructions. Read the label on packaged food to see if it needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer, many unrefrigerated items may need to be refrigerated once opened.
4. Keep hot food at or over 60°C. Hot food needs to be kept and served at 60°C or hotter. If you are keeping it warm for someone put it in the oven at 60°C (or at 100°C if that is as low as your oven will go).
5. Divide food up to cool quickly. Freshly cooked food, not for immediate consumption, should have the temperature reduced as quickly as possible. Divide the food into containers in small portions and put it into the fridge or freezer as soon as it stops steaming. You can cool food faster if you place the pot in a sink of cold water and stir it, replacing the water from time to time.
6. Keep food on the move cool. If you are transporting perishable food around such as: refrigerated or frozen shopping, your (or your child’s) lunch or goodies for a BBQ or a picnic always use a cooler bag and add a frozen block or drink to keep things cool.
7. If in doubt throw it out. If perishable food has been in the temperature danger zone for 2 to 4 hours consume it immediately. After 4 hours throw it out.

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Temperature control and monitoring is usually the first thing people think of and do to keep food safe. Temperature control prevents the growth of food poisoning bacteria by either lowering or raising the temperature to a point where the bacteria either die or stop multiplying.

However, bacteria require certain environmental conditions for optimal growth. These are:

• temperature (between 5°C and 60°C – the temperature danger zone)
• time (bacteria double every twenty (20) minutes in the right conditions)
• pH (around 7 or neutral)
• water
• protein (food source).

By controlling, one or more of these elements, you can control bacterial growth. Water and pH are controlled in manufactured products such as tinned, pickled or dried foods. You can easily manage time and temperature of your food.

Time control for ready to eat potentially hazardous food

You are required to maintain the temperature of potentially hazardous food either at or below 5°C or at or above 60°C at all times, unless the food business can demonstrate that maintaining food at another temperature for a specific length of time will not adversely affect the microbiological safety of the food.

It is very difficult for most food businesses to scientifically demonstrate alternative time and temperature combinations to ensure safe food. Safe Food Australia: A guide to the food safety standards provides advice to food businesses on the use of time as a control for potentially hazardous foods through the 4-hour/2-hour guide.

As a general rule, the total time that a ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food can be at temperatures between 5°C and 60°C is 4 hours. After this time the food must be discarded (thrown away). The total time is the sum of the time the food is at temperatures between 5°C and 60°C after it has been cooked or otherwise processed to make it safe. For example, if raw meat is cooked, count the time the food is at temperatures between 5°C and 60°C after it is cooked.

It is safe for potentially hazardous food to be between 5°C and 60°C for a limited time because, as discussed earlier, food poisoning bacteria need time to grow to unsafe levels.

The ‘2 hour/4 hour guide’ is summarised below.

If you wish to maintain potentially hazardous food between the temperatures of 5°C and 60°C for time periods longer than the 2 hours and 4 hours specified above, you will need to be able to demonstrate that the extension in time will not compromise the safety of the food.

Time control for cooked and cooled potentially hazardous foods

when cooling potentially hazardous food that has been cooked, you must cool the food:

• from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours
• from 21°C to 5°C within a further 4 hours.

In order to cool food in these timeframes, you may need to alter the way you cool foods. Some examples may be:

• divide large volumes of cooked foods into smaller containers
• cut or divide large roasts into smaller portions
• allow plenty of space between cooling items to allow circulation of cold air.

Time control for food that has been cooked by another business

If you wish to use the 2 hour/4 hour guide for potentially hazardous food you have not cooked or otherwise processed to ensure its safety, you will need to know the temperature history of the food.

You need to know whether, following the cooking or other process step, the food spent any time at a temperature between 5°C and 60°C. If any of the available time has been ‘used up’ before you receive the food, this time must be counted. If you do not know the temperature history of the food and are not able to obtain this information, you cannot use time to control the growth of foodborne pathogens and must keep the food at or below 5°C or at or above 60°C.

Records

Keep the following records when you are controlling the temperature of food:

• Temperature control log
• 2 hour / 4 hour record

Last updated: 9 June 2021