Fridge and hot-hold temperatures in a pub or restaurant: the 8°C and 63°C limits, the two-hour and four-hour defences and a weekly log count worked

Two numbers sit behind most kitchen temperature logs: 8°C for chilled food and 63°C for food held hot. The practical questions are what exactly the law says, how long food may be out of temperature control on a counter or buffet, and how many readings a log should hold if you are going to rely on it.

What the Regulations say

The text I read is legislation.gov.uk's copy of the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995, shown "as it was originally made".

• Chilled food (England and Wales), regulation 4(1). Food that supports the growth of pathogens, in a commercial operation, must not be kept at or in food premises "at a temperature above 8°C".
• Hot food (England and Wales), regulation 8. Cooked or reheated food kept for service or display that needs hot holding must not be kept "at a temperature below 63°C".
• Four-hour defence, regulation 7(1). For chilled food, it is a defence that the food had been kept for service or on display for sale for less than four hours, and had not previously been kept above 8°C.
• Two-hour defence, regulation 9(2). For hot food, it is a defence that the food had been kept for service or on display for less than two hours, and had not previously been kept for that purpose by the same person.
• Scotland, regulation 13(1). Scotland has its own provision in a separate Part: food must be kept in a refrigerator or cool ventilated place, or "at a temperature above 63°C". The England and Wales limits above do not apply there.

These are defences, not general permissions. Plan the kitchen so that you do not need them, and treat them as the answer when a buffet or counter display runs a little out of range.

Display windows, worked

Take the defences as clock arithmetic. Both windows say "less than", so the time is a ceiling, not a target.

Checks: 12:10 plus 2 hours is 14:10; 11:30 plus 4 hours is 15:30. A tray topped up at 13:00 does not restart the clock for the food already in it. Both defences also require that the food has not already used its time, so a tray put back out after being chilled and reheated is not a fresh start.

The weekly log, counted

The Regulations contain the limits, not a log. The sections I read say nothing about how often to take readings, so the twice-a-day pattern below is my choice for the check, not a legal figure.

Checks: 4 x 2 x 7 = 56; 2 x 2 x 7 = 28; 56 + 28 = 84. Suppose the log holds 71 entries: 84 - 71 = 13 missing, and 13 / 84 = 15.5%. The figures are illustrative; count your own sheet the same way. A log that is full proves less than a reading that shows 9°C and is acted on, so record what you did next, not just the number.

Where owners slip up

• Treating 8°C as the target. It is the legal ceiling for England and Wales. Many kitchens set fridges lower to leave a margin; that margin is your choice and I did not read an official figure for it.
• Scotland. If you run a venue north of the border, check the Scottish provision, not the England and Wales one.
• Defences used as routine. Food repeatedly sitting out for nearly the full window is a plan that has no room for a busy service.
• Gaps on busy days. The missing readings cluster on Saturdays and bank holidays. Put the check on the opening and closing list; see the new starter checklist for where to teach it.
• Inspection day. The temperature log is part of what a visit looks at; see how to appeal a food hygiene rating if the score is wrong.
• New premises. Registration comes first: register a food business.

What I did not read

I did not read the Food Standards Agency's current guidance pages on temperature control (the address I tried returned not found), or its Safer Food, Better Business pack, so I give no figure for fridge set-points, cooling times, reheating or how long to keep a log. I read the Regulations as originally made and could not confirm from the page which provisions are amended or in force today, or the penalties. I did not read the rules for Northern Ireland.

Overlyft builds AI staff who join your pub or restaurant team and take the job of keeping the temperature paperwork honest: they check the weekly log for missing readings, flag any value over 8°C or under 63°C, and draft the corrective-action note, and a person approves each one.

This is general information, not legal or food safety advice. Check the Regulations and speak to your local authority's food safety team.