Cold slows germs down, heat kills them and time at room temperature lets them multiply. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires:
- That the cold chain is not broken. Only short periods outside temperature control are allowed for practical reasons (preparing, transporting, serving), and only if they do not create a risk.
- That food to be kept or served cold is chilled as quickly as possible after cooking.
- That thawing minimises risk (in the cold room, not on the worktop) and that the liquid released is drained if it may be a risk.
The figures in Spanish law
The EU regulation sets no temperatures, but Spanish law does. For prepared meals (stews, salads, sandwiches, omelettes…) the rule is Article 30 of Royal Decree 1086/2020, which Royal Decree 1021/2022 (Article 6) also applies to bars, restaurants, canteens and shops. The old Royal Decree 3484/2000 has been repealed.
- Hot holding: at 63 °C or above if it is not served straight away.
- Cold holding: at 4 °C or below if its shelf life is more than 24 hours, and at 8 °C or below if it is less than 24 hours. Frozen: at −18 °C or below.
- Cooling cooked food: the centre must drop from 60 °C to 10 °C in less than two hours.
- Reheating: at least 74 °C for 15 seconds at the centre, within one hour of taking it out of the fridge. Reheated food that is not eaten is thrown away: it is not reheated again or stored.
Your employer may only use other chilling temperatures if it proves to the health authority that they are scientifically based. For raw materials, Royal Decree 1021/2022 (Article 4) sets, among others: meat, 7 °C or below; poultry and meat preparations, 4 °C or below; minced meat, 2 °C or below; fresh fish, between 0 and 4 °C; frozen food, −18 °C or below.
Other figures you should know
- Cooking: according to AESAN, the centre of the food should reach 70 °C for at least 2 minutes.
- Leftovers: into the fridge as soon as possible and never more than 2 hours at room temperature (AESAN). To reheat them, the rule above: 74 °C for 15 seconds at the centre.
- Raw or undercooked fish (anchovies in vinegar, sushi, ceviche, marinated or cold-smoked fish): to prevent Anisakis, Royal Decree 1021/2022 (Article 8) requires it to be frozen first at −20 °C for 24 hours or at −35 °C for at least 15 hours. The restaurant must tell customers, on the menu, with a notice or by other means, that it has been frozen.
Dates on the label
- «Use by» date (fecha de caducidad): found on highly perishable foods. After that date the food is not considered safe: it is neither served nor sold.
- «Best before» date (consumir preferentemente antes del…): how long the food keeps its qualities if stored properly. It is not a safety date.
A simple habit in the store room: first in, first out. Put whatever expires first at the front.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Annex II, Chapter IX, points 2, 5, 6 and 7 · Spanish Royal Decree 1086/2020, Article 30: requirements for prepared meals (consolidated text, in Spanish), Article 30 · Spanish Royal Decree 1021/2022, hygiene in retail, bars and restaurants (consolidated text, in Spanish), Articles 4, 6 and 8 · AESAN, «Preventing food poisoning» (WHO golden rules, in Spanish), rules 2 to 5 · AESAN, Anisakis campaign (in Spanish) · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, Articles 2(2)(r) and 24