6 ways to automate fridge temperature checks

#1 - Simple log

Who it's for: Single-site kitchens where the chef or duty manager reads the fridges themselves. No second checker, just a need to record that cold food was kept cold.

What it is: A fridge temperature check is a recorded reading of each fridge's temperature. This version keeps it to the one thing that matters: the number on the display, logged per unit, in one box so each fridge reads as its own check. Cold food must be held at or below 5°C as a target, with 8°C the legal maximum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Below 5°C, the bacteria that cause food poisoning grow slowly; above 8°C they multiply fast.

In practice: A single-site deli opens up, walks the line of three fridges, and logs each one: 3°C, 4°C, 2°C. It takes under a minute and leaves a dated record that the cold chain held overnight, which is the first thing an environmental health officer asks to see.

Why it works: Each reading lives in its own box, tied to a fridge, so a number is never logged adrift from what it measures. When you check several fridges, you duplicate the box, and the record stays readable months later.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per fridge) holding: fridge temperature (number)
• Duplicate the box for each fridge

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Kitchens with new starters or a rota of staff who don't all know the safe limit off by heart.

What it is: The basic check plus a guidance note in the box. The note states the 5°C target and the 8°C legal limit, and reminds staff to read the built-in display and check against a probe if a reading looks off.

In practice: A busy cafe with a high-turnover team runs this. A new starter reads the fridge, sees the note saying anything above 8°C needs action, logs 9°C, and knows straight away to move the stock and report it rather than shrugging it off.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. The safe limit is on screen at the moment of the reading, not in a training folder
2. New staff know what counts as a fail without asking
3. Readings are taken from the right place, not just the door display

Why it works: The guidance sits in the same box as the reading, so staff see it as they check, not in a session they have half forgotten. It turns the head chef's standard into a prompt that is always on screen.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (safe temperature range and how to read the display)
• 1 grouped check (one box per fridge) holding: fridge temperature (number)
• Duplicate the box for each fridge

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Multi-site groups where someone signs off the day's fridge readings and the records have to stand up across sites.

What it is: The basic check plus a signature. The person doing the readings signs to confirm every fridge was within range. For a group with a food safety manager overseeing several kitchens, that signature makes each site accountable for its own cold chain.

In practice: A 15-site coffee chain logs fridge readings through the day, then the duty manager signs off at close. The food safety lead can open any site's record and see the readings and the signature, all timestamped, without leaving the office.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A signature confirming every fridge was within range
2. Named accountability for each site's readings
3. A record someone has put their name to, so there is no ambiguity about what was checked

Why it works: A signature turns a set of readings into a record someone has put their name to. Nobody can later say the checks were not done. With the readings and the signature, it is the full evidence an auditor wants.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per fridge) holding: fridge temperature (number)
• Duplicate the box for each fridge
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Kitchens under EHO scrutiny, or holding food for vulnerable groups, that want to show proof rather than ask an inspector to trust a number.

What it is: The basic check plus a photo of the fridge display. A number typed into a log can be rounded or guessed; a photo of 4°C on the display is proof the fridge was read and was in range at that time.

In practice: A care-home kitchen photographs each fridge display every morning. If the CQC or the EHO questions the cold chain, the kitchen can show the actual display for the actual fridge on the actual day, not a tidy column of identical numbers.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A photo of the fridge display, captured at the time
2. Proof that holds up to an inspector, not just a typed number
3. A visual record that ties each reading to a real fridge

Why it works: Evidence taken in the moment is far stronger than a number typed later. The photo ties the reading to the fridge and the time, which is what an inspector or an insurer needs.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per fridge) holding: fridge temperature (number)
• Duplicate the box for each fridge
• 1 photo of the fridge display

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Kitchens where the temperature photo gets taken but nobody reviews it. Multi-site groups where head office can't look at every site's photos.

What it is: A photo-checked reading is the basic check plus a photo of the fridge display that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: Is the temperature on the fridge display at or below 5°C? If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets fixed before everyone leaves.

In practice: A three-site bakery group checks fridges every morning at 6am. The baker photographs the display as always. Poppi reads the photo: 4°C, within range. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a rushed Friday the photo shows 7°C because the door has been held open during a stock rotation. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The fridge display shows 7°C, above the safe limit"). The baker closes the door and retakes the photo while still in the building.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A photo of the fridge display that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a reading fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at fridge photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the staff member leaving. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next morning can only record that the fridge was warm; Poppi catching it at 6am gets it fixed immediately.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per fridge) holding: fridge temperature (number)
• Duplicate the box for each fridge
• 1 photo of the fridge display
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With a team alert if the check is overdue

Who it's for: Teams with scheduled fridge checks where the reading sometimes doesn't get done when staff are busy or distracted.

What it is: An overdue-check alert is the basic check plus a Poppi (AI) action timed to the check's scheduled slot. If the fridge readings aren't logged by that time, Poppi posts a message in the team chat so the check gets done. It watches the scheduled time, so it catches the check that got skipped in the rush, not just the one that's forgotten.

In practice: A 6-site cafe chain schedules fridge checks for 9am daily. On a Friday with a staff shortage and a delivery arriving, the morning check hasn't been done by 9.30am. With this version, the team chat gets a message at 9am if the check hasn't been completed, so the shift lead catches the gap before mid-morning service rather than when the auditor asks next month why Thursday's checks are missing.

What it adds to the basic check:

1. A message in the team chat if the check isn't finished by its scheduled time
2. A catch for the check that got skipped in the rush, not just the one that's forgotten
3. A record of when the check should have been done, next to when it was
4. The manager finds out same day, not when an auditor asks weeks later

Why it works: The alert is tied to the check's scheduled slot, so a skipped check raises its own hand. Nobody has to notice it's missing; the deadline does.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped check (one box per fridge) holding: fridge temperature (number)
• Duplicate the box for each fridge
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the check isn't finished by the scheduled time)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the basic check plus one addition, so pick the additions your kitchen actually needs.

Do other people do the readings, and do they know the safe limit?

If you read them yourself and know the limit by heart, the plain log is enough. The moment rota staff do it, the safe limit needs to be on the screen: #2.

Does someone need to sign off the readings?

In one kitchen, the record speaks for itself. Across sites, an auditor wants to know who confirmed each day's readings. If no sign-off is needed, skip this one. If you run more than one site, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need proof the fridge was actually read?

A record tells you a number was logged. Proof is something you can put in front of an inspector. If a number is enough, stop at #1 or #2. If you are under scrutiny or hold food for vulnerable groups, #4 adds a photo of the fridge display.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Does the check have to be done by a scheduled time, and does it sometimes get missed?

If your team has to do fridge checks at a set time (e.g. 9am daily) and the check sometimes gets skipped when staff are busy, #6 posts a message to the team chat if the check isn't finished by then.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same check.

Related workflows

• Freezer temperature check - the same check for frozen storage at -18°C
• Cooked food temperature check - proving food reached a safe temperature when cooked
• Food probe accuracy test - making sure the probe you check with reads true

Conclusion

A fridge check is only as useful as the record it leaves. Most kitchens log readings on paper or not at all, so there is nothing to show when an auditor asks. The versions above are the simple log plus one addition each: guidance, a signature, a photo, an AI check on the photo, or a deadline alert. Pick the ones your kitchen needs and combine them in the playground.

More additions are coming in future refreshes, like pulling every site's readings into one daily report. Those need more review time and will land separately.

→ Build your own fridge temperature check on Pilla.