How to Record a Fridge Temperature Checks Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Fridge temperature monitoring is one of the most critical daily food safety tasks. Get it wrong and you're allowing bacteria to multiply in your stored food. This video will train your team to understand why temperature control matters, how to monitor correctly, and what to do when things go wrong.

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Start your video by explaining the science behind fridge temperature control. This context helps staff understand why the numbers matter, not just what the numbers should be.

High protein and high moisture foods provide perfect growth conditions for micro-organisms—both pathogenic bacteria that cause illness and spoilage organisms that affect quality. These foods include cooked meats and fish, poultry, products containing eggs or dairy, prepared salads, soft cheeses, shellfish, and many others. Bacteria don't distinguish between raw and ready-to-eat; they'll grow on both if conditions allow.

Low temperatures between 1-5°c slow bacterial growth considerably. Bacteria will still multiply, but very slowly. However, some bacteria—known as psychrotrophs—can multiply at normal rates even at refrigeration temperatures. Listeria monocytogenes is a prime example: it thrives at temperatures that would slow most other organisms. This is why strict temperature control must be maintained at all times.

Explain the legal framework: it's a legal requirement to store high-risk foods below 8°c, but 8°c is the critical limit—the temperature at which corrective action becomes mandatory. Your target should always be below 5°c. There will be instances where unit temperature rises above 5°c, but this should be the exception, not the rule.

Film your opening in your cold storage area, ideally showing the thermometer or temperature display. This immediately connects the concepts to the equipment staff will be monitoring.

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Fridge temperature monitoring requires both visual demonstration of procedures and precise written records. The video shows the techniques; the documentation provides the evidence.

Record on video:

• How to read your fridge thermometers and digital displays
• The physical process of taking temperatures using a probe between food packs
• What proper food separation looks like—raw below ready-to-eat
• How to check for overloading and correct airflow
• The process for checking use-by dates during temperature rounds
• What to do when you discover a temperature above 5°c
• How to check food temperature versus air temperature
• The breakdown procedure decision-making process
• Correct covering and storage of foods
• Weekly equipment maintenance checks (condensers, vents, door seals)

Document in written procedures:

• Your specific monitoring schedule (twice daily, once per shift minimum)
• Temperature record sheets and how to complete them
• The 3-day rule for high-risk and batch-cooked foods
• Your corrective actions log format
• Emergency contact numbers for refrigeration engineers
• Alternative storage locations in case of breakdown
• Records of weekly core temperature checks on high-risk foods
• Training and retraining records

The video shows HOW to monitor and respond. The written documents provide WHAT to record and WHERE to record it.

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Structure your video around the six critical elements of fridge temperature management. Each requires specific procedures that staff must understand and execute consistently.

Temperature targets and limits

The target storage temperature should always be below 5°c. This is your normal operating range where bacterial growth is minimised. A temperature of 8°c is the critical limit—any breach of this limit triggers mandatory corrective actions.

Fresh fish has a stricter requirement: it must be stored below 3°c at all times. If fresh fish is found above this temperature, it must be discarded. No exceptions.

Temperatures must be monitored and recorded a minimum of twice per day—once per shift. This frequency catches problems before they become food safety incidents. If you only check once daily and the fridge has been failing overnight, you've lost hours of potential intervention time.

The 4-hour rule

This is one of the most important concepts for staff to understand. Cold food may be kept above 8°c for a period of up to 4 hours to accommodate certain practicalities—display, service, assembly. However, only one such period is allowed, no matter how short the first exposure was.

Food that has been above 8°c for longer than 4 hours must be discarded. Food remaining at the end of a display period should be discarded—you cannot return it to the fridge for later use. This rule is absolute and non-negotiable.

Food separation

Raw and high-risk foods must always be separated from each other. Ideally, use separate fridges for raw and ready-to-eat foods. If this isn't possible due to space constraints, raw foods must always be stored below high-risk products to prevent drip contamination.

Raw foods defrosting in a fridge must always be contained within an outer tray or receptacle to catch drips. Thaw juices are highly contaminated and must not contact other products or fridge surfaces.

Use-by date management

Ensure use-by dates are checked regularly and foods are used in rotation (first in, first out). Food that has exceeded its use-by date must be removed from sale and discarded immediately—this is a legal requirement, not a guideline.

High-risk and batch-cooked foods must be labelled correctly and only kept for a period of three days including the day of production. For example, food prepared on Tuesday must be used before the end of the last shift on Thursday.

Foods previously frozen must be used within 24 hours once fully defrosted.

Foods displaying signs of spoilage or decay must be discarded, even if the use-by date hasn't been reached. Trust your senses alongside the labels.

Overloading prevention

Refrigerated units must not be overloaded. Air must be able to flow around the back and sides of the inside of the unit and between food items. Overloading causes temperature fluctuations as cold air cannot circulate properly, creating warm spots where bacteria can multiply.

Show staff what correct loading looks like versus overloading. Demonstrate the airflow paths and explain why gaps matter.

Equipment maintenance

Refrigerated units must be maintained in good condition and kept clean and disinfected. Condensers, vents, and door seals should be inspected weekly to check condition and cleanliness.

Blocked condensers and vents can cause the unit to overheat. A dirty condenser works harder and may fail. Door seals that don't close properly allow warm air ingress and temperature fluctuation. These weekly checks prevent breakdowns.

Food covering requirements

Foods stored in refrigerated units must be covered adequately to prevent physical, allergenic, and microbiological contamination. Using cloths or tea towels to cover food is unacceptable and must be avoided.

Only food-grade storage containers or food-grade wrappings are acceptable. Display refrigerated equipment must provide screening and/or sneeze guards to protect stock from customer contamination.

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

This is where you show staff exactly what correct temperature monitoring looks like in practice. Use detailed narration so they can replicate exactly what you're showing.

Setting up for your temperature round

What you need:

"Before I start my temperature round, let me show you what I have with me: my temperature record sheet, a pen, and my probe thermometer. The probe has been calibrated—I check calibration weekly—and it's clean and sanitised."

"I also know where all our fridges are and the order I'll check them. Having a consistent routine means I don't miss any units and the round is efficient."

Taking fridge temperature readings

Display readings:

"I'm starting with the walk-in fridge. First, I check the digital display. This shows 3°c, which is within our target range of below 5°c."

"I record this immediately: fridge name, temperature reading, time. I don't trust my memory—I write it down now."

"But the display only tells me air temperature. For a more accurate picture, I should also check food temperature."

Probe readings between packs:

"Watch how I take a probe reading between food packs. I'm selecting two sealed containers that have been in here overnight—not items that just came in from a delivery."

"I'm placing my probe between the containers. I'm not piercing any packaging—I'm just measuring the temperature in the gap between them. This tells me the temperature the food has stabilised at, not just the air temperature which can fluctuate when doors open."

"The probe needs time to stabilise. I'm waiting... the reading is settling... 4°c. That's consistent with the display reading, which is good."

"If the probe reading was significantly different from the display—say the display showed 3°c but my probe showed 7°c—that would tell me something is wrong with the display or there's a temperature gradient in the fridge."

Recording the readings:

"I record both readings: display 3°c, probe between packs 4°c, time. Both readings are within target, so I move on to the next fridge."

"If I had found a reading above 5°c, I would circle that reading on my sheet and set a reminder to recheck in one hour."

Checking separation and organisation

Correct arrangement:

"While I'm checking temperature, I'm also looking at how food is organised. This is part of the same round—I'm not making separate trips."

"Ready-to-eat products are on the upper shelves: cooked meats here, prepared salads here, desserts here. None of these items will be cooked again before they reach the customer."

"Raw meats and poultry are below, on the bottom shelf. Look at the arrangement: raw chicken here, raw beef here. They're separated from ready-to-eat food by two shelves."

"Why this arrangement? If something drips—and raw meat does produce liquid—gravity takes it downward. With ready-to-eat food above, drips fall onto lower shelves, not onto food that won't be cooked before serving. If I had ready-to-eat food below raw meat, drips could contaminate it with harmful bacteria."

Defrosting items:

"This raw chicken is defrosting in the fridge—this is the safest defrosting method. Notice it's in a container, and the container is sitting in a catch tray."

"The catch tray is essential. Watch what happens as the chicken thaws: liquid collects in the bottom of the container. Some of that liquid will overflow the container into the tray. Without the tray, that liquid—which is highly contaminated with bacteria—would drip onto the shelf and potentially onto foods below."

"The defrosting item is on the bottom shelf. Even with a catch tray, I position it where any spill can't contaminate food below."

Use-by date checking during temperature rounds

Integrating date checks:

"Temperature rounds are also when I check dates. I'm already looking at every shelf; I might as well look at labels too."

"This container of prepared chicken: I can see the date label. Made on Monday—today is Wednesday. Our rule is three days including the day of production. That means Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. This must be used by end of service today."

"I'm rotating it to the very front of the shelf where it's visible and will be grabbed first. If I leave it where it was, something else might get used instead and this could expire unused."

Finding problems:

"Here's an item with no date label. I don't know what it is, I don't know when it was made, I don't know when it expires."

"This is a problem. Without a date, I can't verify this food is safe. Maybe it was made yesterday; maybe it's been here a week."

"Our procedure: I set this aside and ask the team. If someone can tell me definitively when it was made, I can make a decision. If no one knows, it gets disposed of and recorded in the wastage log."

"This is exactly why we label everything. Five seconds to write a label prevents this situation entirely."

Finding expired items:

"This item's use by date was yesterday. It shouldn't be here. Either yesterday's closing team missed it, or someone put it back instead of disposing of it."

"This goes in the wastage log immediately. I note: item, date, quantity, reason—'past use by date, found during temperature check.' Then I investigate why this wasn't caught yesterday."

Responding to temperature breaches

The escalation process:

"I've just found this fridge displaying 6°c. That's above our 5°c target but below the 8°c critical limit. Let me show you the correct response."

"First: Don't panic, but don't ignore it. I record the reading with a circle around it to flag it."

"Second: I try to identify an obvious cause. Is the door closing properly? Has it been propped open? Is the fridge overloaded with a recent delivery that hasn't cooled yet? Is the display actually showing current temperature or has it frozen?"

"In this case, I don't see an obvious cause. The door is closed, the fridge isn't overloaded."

"Third: I set a reminder to recheck in one hour. At that point, I'll know if this is a temporary fluctuation or a persistent problem."

One hour later:

"It's been an hour. I'm rechecking this fridge. The display now shows... 5.5°c. That's come down slightly, but it's still above 5°c."

"At this point, I check food temperature, not just air temperature. I'm placing my probe between food packs... stabilising... 6°c. The food itself is above 5°c."

"This is now a concern. I'm recording: 6°c food temperature at [time]. I continue monitoring hourly and consider whether the fridge needs an engineer."

Food above 8°c:

"Let me show you the scenario where food reaches 8°c or above. This triggers a different response."

"If food temperature is above 8°c, I need to act immediately. My options are:"

"Option one: Transfer food to another fridge if there's space. I'm moving these items to our backup fridge now. They go straight in—they're still within the 4-hour window."

"Option two: If no alternative storage exists, the food must be used within 4 hours of reaching 8°c. That means if I discovered it at 10am, it must be served by 2pm."

"Option three: If food has been above 8°c for longer than 4 hours—or if I don't know how long it's been at that temperature—it must be discarded immediately."

"The 4-hour rule is absolute. Food above 8°c for more than 4 hours goes in the bin. No exceptions, no judgement calls."

Breakdown procedure demonstration

Discovering a failure:

"I've arrived this morning and found this fridge is warm. The display shows 15°c. This is a breakdown situation."

"First, I don't trust the display. The display might be part of what's failed. I check food temperature directly."

"I'm feeling items: this pack of chicken feels warm. This butter feels soft. These are bad signs."

"I'm using my probe to get actual temperatures. Chicken: 12°c. Butter: 14°c. This food is well above the 8°c critical limit."

The critical question:

"Now I need to answer the critical question: How long has this food been above 8°c?"

"If I know the answer—for example, the fridge was fine at 10pm last night when close-down checks happened, and it's now 6am—then I can calculate. That's 8 hours. Well over the 4-hour limit."

"If I don't know the answer—maybe there were no overnight checks, or the fridge might have failed days ago—then I have to assume the worst."

"In this scenario, the food has been above 8°c for longer than 4 hours. All of it must be discarded."

Executing the procedure:

"I'm removing all food from this fridge. Everything goes in the wastage log: each item, quantity, reason for disposal—'fridge breakdown, food above 8°c for unknown duration.'"

"Remember the special rule: fresh fish found above 3°c must be discarded regardless of other factors. Not 8°c—3°c. Fish has a stricter limit."

"I'm calling an engineer immediately. The fridge might have a minor fault or it might need replacement, but either way, it can't hold food until it's fixed."

"I'm recording everything in the corrective actions log: time of discovery, temperatures found, food disposed of, engineer called, any action taken."

Weekly equipment maintenance checks

What to check:

"Once a week, I do equipment checks on all refrigeration units. This prevents breakdowns by catching problems early."

"Condensers: This is the part that radiates heat away from the fridge. Dust and dirt accumulate here. A dirty condenser makes the fridge work harder and can cause it to fail."

"I'm looking at the condenser on the back of this unit. It's dusty—that needs cleaning. A brush or vacuum to remove the dust, then it works efficiently again."

"Vents: Air needs to circulate around the fridge. Vents shouldn't be blocked by boxes, other equipment, or accumulated debris."

"Door seals: The rubber seals around the door should be intact and closing properly. I'm running my hand around the seal—I shouldn't feel cold air escaping. If I do, the seal needs replacing."

"I'm recording the check: date, what I checked, any issues found, any maintenance scheduled."

Refrigerated display and storage wells

Display units:

"Display fridges follow all the same rules, but with additional considerations."

"Temperature monitoring: I check these more frequently because they're opened constantly by staff and, in customer-facing settings, by customers."

"Protection: Display units must have sneeze guards or screening to protect food from customer contamination. If I see these are missing or damaged, that's a problem to report."

"Stock levels: Display fridges shouldn't be overloaded, but they also shouldn't look empty—there's a balance between food safety and commercial presentation."

Ice wells and refrigerated wells:

"Storage wells need extra attention because temperatures can rise quickly."

"I monitor these every 4 hours during service, not just twice daily. The smaller volume and frequent access means temperature fluctuates more."

"Food must not stay in wells overnight. At end of service: all food comes out, the well is cleaned and disinfected, ice is removed and drained."

"Between service periods, I check and refresh ice levels. I'm not just topping up—I'm checking the temperature is actually being maintained. Adding a bit of ice to a warm well doesn't make it safe."

"If a well isn't holding temperature despite adequate ice, it might be damaged or the refrigeration unit might be failing. That's an engineer call."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Address the mistakes that lead to temperature control failures and food safety incidents.

Mistake 1: Only checking once daily. Twice daily minimum means you catch problems while there's still time to act. Once daily means a failing fridge could be above 8°c for 20+ hours before anyone notices.

Mistake 2: Recording the display temperature without checking food temperature during problems. Air temperature and food temperature can differ significantly. When there's a problem, you need to know what temperature the food is at, not just the air around it.

Mistake 3: Putting raw meat above ready-to-eat foods. Drip contamination is one of the most common causes of cross-contamination. Raw always goes below, no exceptions, even for "just a minute."

Mistake 4: Overloading the fridge before a busy period. More food in the fridge means more thermal mass that needs cooling and less airflow to move that cold air around. The fridge that copes fine normally may fail when overloaded.

Mistake 5: Ignoring slight temperature rises. A fridge that's creeping from 3°c to 5°c over several days is telling you something. It might be overloaded, the condenser might be dirty, or the seals might be failing. Investigate before it becomes a critical breach.

Mistake 6: Not labelling prepared foods with dates. Unlabelled food has unknown age. The 3-day rule only works if you know when day one was. Label everything, every time.

Mistake 7: Returning displayed food to the fridge. Once food has been on display at ambient temperature, it cannot go back into chilled storage for later use. The 4-hour rule gives you one opportunity; after that, the food is discarded.

Mistake 8: Covering food with cloths or towels. Fabric harbours bacteria and is impossible to keep hygienically clean. Only food-grade containers and wrappings are acceptable.

Mistake 9: Defrosting without containment. Thaw juices from raw meat are highly contaminated. Without a catch tray, those juices spread contamination throughout the fridge.

Mistake 10: Skipping weekly equipment checks. A dirty condenser or failing seal doesn't announce itself until the fridge stops working properly. Weekly inspections catch problems before they become breakdowns.

Step 6: Key takeaways

End your video by reinforcing the core principles of fridge temperature monitoring that staff should remember every shift.

Target temperature is below 5°c; critical limit is 8°c. Fresh fish must be below 3°c. Know these numbers—they define when you're safe, when you're monitoring, and when you're acting.

Monitor temperatures twice daily, once per shift minimum. Consistent monitoring catches problems early. Record every reading, every time.

The 4-hour rule is absolute. Food above 8°c for more than 4 hours must be discarded. You only get one exposure period—no second chances, no returns to the fridge after display.

Separation protects ready-to-eat food from raw contamination. Raw below ready-to-eat, always. Defrosting food in catch trays, always.

Use-by dates and labelling are legal requirements, not suggestions. Three days for batch-cooked food, 24 hours for defrosted raw food. Check dates during every temperature round.

Don't overload. Airflow keeps temperatures consistent. A packed fridge is a failing fridge.

Weekly equipment checks prevent breakdowns. Check condensers, vents, and seals. Clean and maintain before problems develop.

When something goes wrong, act decisively. Check food temperature, not just air temperature. Transfer food if possible. Discard if uncertain. Call an engineer. Record everything.

Ready-to-eat food that may have been cross-contaminated should be discarded. When in doubt, throw it out. No food is worth a food poisoning outbreak.

Record all temperatures, all corrective actions, all training. Your records prove your system works. If it's not recorded, it didn't happen.