Fridge temperature log: free template and how to fill it in

What a good fridge log records

• The fridge or unit name (Back Fridge, Cake Walk-In, Bar Fridge 2)
• The date and time of each reading
• The temperature
• Who took it: initials or a name
• What you did if the reading was too high
• A manager’s check at the end of the week

How to fill it in, step by step

• At the start of the week, write the business name, the week commencing date, and every fridge down the left.
• Take the morning reading before service. Write the temperature and your initials in that day’s AM box.
• Take the afternoon reading later in the day, in the PM box.
• If a reading is above your limit, check it again, act, and write it under Actions taken.
• At the end of the week, a manager reads the sheet and signs it. File it with your food safety pack.

Mistakes that make a log worthless

An inspector reads a log for patterns as much as numbers. A week of identical readings in the same pen, filled in on Friday, tells them the checks didn’t happen when they should have. So does a reading that’s always exactly 4.0 °C.

• Filling it in at the end of the day or week
• Writing the same number every time
• Leaving gaps with no explanation
• No action written next to a warm reading
• Nobody’s initials, or one person’s initials for every check

Paper, the SFBB diary, or an app

All three can work. The Safer Food Better Business pack has a diary where you can record checks, and GOV.UK confirms it can be kept electronically. An app like Daybook does the same job, but each reading is signed with the person’s name and the time automatically, and readings outside the safe range are flagged.