Cooling Food Safely

In accordance with the temperature control requirements set by the Food Standards Code, the 2 hour 4 hour cooling rule is a method of compliance used by food businesses to cool food safely. The food safety obligations set out in the Food Standards Code state that all food businesses must be able to demonstrate that potentially hazardous food is cooled safely. To help food businesses achieve this, the detailed procedure as to how to follow the 2 hr/4hr cooling rule is demonstrated in this video.

A good accurate thermometer is essential to follow this method of temperature control.

The safe temperatures for storing potentially hazardous food are above 60 C and below 5 C. When cooling food the first temperature reading should be taken when the temperature of the food is above 60 C. At this point please note down the temperature reading and then transfer the food into a cooling tray to be placed in the fridge. It is important to choose a large shallow container, as the large surface area will allow the food to cool quickly. Then place the container in the fridge and the next temperature reading should be taken after 2 hours. While checking the temperature, ensure that the thermometer is sterilised every time. The final reading should be taken after a further 4 hours, and this reading should be below 5 C. Please record all the readings on a register to verify that the process has been completed correctly.