Fridge & Freezer Temperature Log Sheet
A free, printable temperature log for NZ kitchens: date, time, unit, temperature, in-range check, corrective action and initials. Daily fridge and chiller temperature checks — the temperature of the food — are a mandatory record for Simply Safe & Suitable Food Control Plan businesses, so this is the one sheet no kitchen should skip.
Is a fridge temperature log mandatory in NZ?
Yes — for Food Control Plan businesses on the Simply Safe & Suitable template, daily fridge/chiller temperature checks are on the mandatory list in MPI's Record keeping guidance (February 2026), and the record is specifically the temperature of the food in your fridge, not just the air or the dial. Like every Food Control Plan record, each entry must be dated, show the result, identify who did the check, and be kept for at least 4 years (regulations 36–37, Food Regulations 2015).
What temperature should the fridge and freezer be?
MPI's food-safety guidance says to set your fridge between 2°C and 5°C. Keeping chilled food at or below 5°C is the widely used benchmark in NZ kitchens and reflects the keeping-food-cold approach in the Simply Safe & Suitable plan — your own plan's cards are the authority for your business. For freezers, the test that matters is that food stays frozen solid — many operators set −18°C or colder for headroom; your plan's cards set the target for your business.
Fridge running warm? Our guide covers what to do when the fridge is out of range — the short version: fix the cause, check the food, and record both the reading and the corrective action.
Printable temperature log
One row per check. Circle Y or N in the in-range column; anything out of range gets a corrective action in the same row.
Temperature log — Week starting: ____________ Site: ____________
Target: chilled food at or below 5°C (fridge set between 2°C and 5°C) · freezer: food frozen solid. Check the temperature of the food, not just the display.
| Date | Time | Unit (fridge/freezer) | Temp °C | In range? | Corrective action | Initials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N | ||||||
| Y / N |
Keep completed sheets for at least 4 years (regs 36 & 81, Food Regulations 2015). Out-of-range readings also belong in your when-something-goes-wrong record: what happened, how you fixed it, how you'll prevent it.
How to use this temperature log
- Check the food, not the dial. The mandatory record is the temperature of the food in your fridge — probe a product (or a water bottle kept in the unit as a proxy your plan accepts), don't just copy the display.
- Log every unit, every day. One sheet per week per area works well. Tape it to the fridge door with a pen on a string — the sheet no one can find is the sheet no one fills in.
- Out of range? Act, then write both down. Move stock, adjust or call for repair, check whether food is still safe — and record the action next to the reading.
- Calibrate your thermometer. Doing your own thermometer calibration is part of mandatory equipment maintenance; recording the calibration results is optional.
- File sheets for 4 years. Your verifier can ask for any week in that window.
This is the record that generates the most paper in most kitchens — and the one a Food Control Plan app handles best: a few taps per unit, out-of-range flags with the corrective action attached, and nothing left in a binder to go missing. More printable sheets in our templates library.
Sources & review
- MPI: Record keeping guidance, February 2026 (PDF)
- MPI: Safe food preparation, cooking and storage (fridge 2–5°C)
- Food Regulations 2015 (regs 36–37, 81–82)
Reviewed on 2 August 2026 by the KitchenSorted team. Regulatory pages are re-reviewed quarterly, and immediately when MPI announces template or policy changes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
This page is general information, not legal or food-safety advice. Always confirm requirements with MPI, your registration authority, or your verifier.
Log Temperatures in Seconds, Not Sheets
KitchenSorted keeps this exact record digitally — dated, initialled, with out-of-range flags and corrective actions attached. Free forever for the daily diary.