Fridge Temperature Log: Printable Sheets and Workbook

A fridge temperature log is a dated record of the temperature inside each refrigerator, freezer or walk-in, read at set times every day, with the initials of the person who checked and what was done whenever a reading was outside the safe range. It is the evidence that cold food was kept cold.

Food businesses keep one because cold holding is one of the main controls in any food safety plan. In the US, the FDA Food Code 2026 says time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food must be held at 41 °F (5 °C) or less. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, chilled food must by law be kept at 8 °C or below, and the Food Standards Agency recommends setting fridges at 5 °C or below and checking them at least once a day. A log turns those numbers into a daily habit an inspector can see.

This page covers the temperatures in both countries, how to take a reading that means something, what to do when a fridge runs warm, and a worked month of readings. Every rule links to the FDA or FSA source.

Last reviewed: 30 October 2026.

Keep fridges at 41 °F (5 °C) or below in the US and set them at 5 °C or below in the UK, where 8 °C is the legal maximum for chilled food. Keep freezers at 0 °F (-18 °C) or below.

The Food Code is a model code: each state, county or city adopts it, sometimes an older edition, sometimes with changes. Your local health department's version is the one inspected against. In the UK, some foods must be kept colder than 8 °C, so the FSA says to follow the manufacturer's storage guidance as well.

Sample data, for illustration only. A bistro logs three units in °F: a walk-in cooler (WIC-1), a prep fridge on the line (RF-2), a chest freezer (FZ-1), a chilled display (DSP-1) and a walk-in freezer (WIF-1), at 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM, from 1 to 29 October.

• Readings: 5 units x 2 checks x 29 days = 290 readings. The walk-in reads 36 to 39 °F, the chest freezer -3 to 0 °F (0 °F is at the limit, so it counts as OK).
• The flag: on 28 October at 4:30 PM, RF-2 reads 46 °F. The limit is 41 °F, so the Result column shows HIGH and Follow-up shows Log action until a reference is typed in.
• The action: CA-001 records a door left ajar, food probed at 42 °F and moved to the walk-in, and a re-check at 5:15 PM of 39 °F. Back in range shows Yes.
• The month: RF-2 has 58 readings, 57 in range: compliance 57 / 58 = 98.3%. With one more high reading on the display unit (43 °F on 14 October, CA-002), the workbook as a whole has 288 of 290 in range = 99.3%. If today is 30 October and nobody has logged today yet, each unit shows 2 missed checks (30 days x 2 checks = 60 expected, 58 taken).

An inspector looking at this record sees the problem, the time it was found, what happened to the food and proof the unit recovered, which is what a log is for.

Browse all our compliance templates and record kits. Clinics that store vaccines need tighter ranges and a different response to excursions: see the vaccine temperature log, built on the CDC storage and handling toolkit.

This log helps you record and review fridge and freezer temperatures. It is not food safety or legal advice and does not replace your HACCP plan, Safer food, better business pack or the advice of your local health department or environmental health team. Rules differ by state, country and food type: check the current FDA Food Code as adopted where you are, and current FSA guidance. Greenwolf Tech Labs is not affiliated with the FDA, the FSA or any government agency. See our terms and refund policy.