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Fridge temperature log for commercial kitchens.
Record your cold storage at 4°C or below, twice a day, with a column for the reading, who checked it, and what they did if it was too warm. Print it, post it on the unit, and keep the cold chain on paper.
How to use the log
In Canada, cold food is kept at 4°C or below. Above that and food moves into the danger zone, between 4°C and 60°C, where bacteria grow fastest. The log is how you show the unit held temperature and how you caught it the day it did not.
What to record
- Date and time of the check
- Which unit, by name or number
- The temperature reading in °C
- Staff initials
- Corrective action, if it was needed
How often
- Twice a day, start and end of shift, is common practice
- Some health units want a check every four hours, confirm yours
- Record it even when the reading is normal
- Same staff where possible, for consistency
If it reads above 4°C
- Check the door is shut and the seal is intact
- Stop opening it, give it 15 to 20 minutes, recheck
- If still warm, move food to another unit and call for service
- Write what you did in the corrective action column
Download the fridge temperature log
Free, one page, letter size. Columns for date, time, unit, temperature, initials, and corrective action, with a manager sign-off line.
Every kitchen is different. This log is a general starting point, not a one-size-fits-all rule. Check frequency, target temperatures, and corrective steps change with your equipment and your local health unit's requirements. Review it and adapt it so it matches your facility before you rely on it. Probe It Food Safety provides this resource for general guidance only.
Certified Public Health Inspector
A fridge log tells me two things fast. Whether the unit holds temperature, and whether the staff actually check it. The logs that worry me are the ones where every reading is exactly 3 degrees, every day, in the same pen. Real fridges drift. They read 2 one morning and 4 after a busy lunch. A log with a little variation and the odd corrective note is a log I trust. A flat line of identical numbers tells me someone filled it in at the end of the week.
Samira Ali · Certified Public Health Inspector · Probe It Food SafetyCommon questions
What temperature should a commercial fridge be in Canada?
Cold food storage should be kept at 4°C or below. Above 4°C, food enters the danger zone between 4°C and 60°C where bacteria grow fastest. Many operators set the unit a touch colder, around 2°C to 3°C, to give a buffer against door openings and busy periods.
How often should I check fridge temperatures?
Twice a day, at the start and end of service, is common practice and works for most kitchens. Some local health units ask for a check every four hours during operating hours. Confirm what your inspector expects in your area, and record the reading every time, even when it is normal.
What do I do if the fridge is above 4°C?
First check the door is closed and the seal is good, then give the unit 15 to 20 minutes without opening it and recheck. If it is still warm, move the food to a working unit, call for service, and note what you did in the corrective action column. The entry showing you caught it and acted is the point of the log.
How long should I keep temperature logs?
Many operators keep completed temperature logs for one to three years. Retention practice varies by province, by your own food safety plan, and by what your insurer expects, so confirm the period that applies to you. Keep them filed and easy to pull during an inspection.