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is being held well below freezing point.

Temperature control
Cold rooms and refrigerators should be held at a constant temperature below 4 °C; ideally, between
1 °C and 3 °C.
Freezers must hold foods at a temperature of -15 °C or less.

In both freezer and cold room proper stock rotation procedures must be followed (first in first out).
Cold room, refrigerator and freezer seals must be regularly checked to ensure a proper seal.

If the seals are faulty then temperatures will not be constant or sufficiently low.
Opening cold room and freezer doors will allow the entry of warm air and make it difficult for the
temperature to remain constant. Effective mise en place and work flow practices will ensure that
doors are opened only when needed and for minimum periods of time.

Clean/ defrost and sanitise regularly (at least weekly). When cleaning cold rooms any foods that are
spoiled or contaminated should be wasted. Shelves, walls, floors, fans, ceilings should be washed and
a spray-on sanitiser (suitable for use in food preparation premises) used. This will help prevent the
growth of bacteria, moulds, yeasts and odours.
The same procedures should be followed when cleaning freezers. Freezers should be regularly
defrosted although this will occur at longer intervals than the cleaning of a cold room or refrigerator.
It should be noted however, that rapid build-up of ice crystals in a freezer can be an indicator that
the temperature is not being properly regulated.

Your organisation should have regular procedures for checking and validating temperature controls-
cold storage monitoring and data logging. These procedures should be incorporated into the
organisation's HACCP plan (or other recognised food plan).

Appendix

Ageing meat
Carcasses or meat are aged by holding them at refrigeration temperatures (carefully controlled and
in compliance with food hygiene regulations) for extended periods of time after slaughter and initial
chill. Ageing (or conditioning as it is called in many countries) improves the tenderness and flavour of
meat.

There are two methods of ageing meat: wet ageing and dry ageing.
Hygiene regulations do not allow hanging of uncleaned or undressed meats. Once a carcase has been
fully cleaned, either the whole carcase (preferably quartered) or the portioned carcase can be aged.
This must, however, only be performed under hygienic, controlled conditions. Carcasses or portions
can be stored in a cool (around 4 °C), clean, well –ventilated area from as little as two days to as
many as two weeks, though five t o seven days should be more than enough to improve tenderness
without risking spoilage. The closer the meat remains near freezing, the longer it can be aged.

This process is generally referred to as dry ageing. During the ageing period enzymes within the meat
break down the muscle and connective tissue making it tender. Moisture is lost from the outer parts
of the carcase causing an inedible crust to form-this is trimmed off and discarded. The carefully
controlled environment, the time involved, and the loss of outer portions of the carcase make dry
ageing a costly process and not one which can be carried out in a normal commercial kitchen.
Wet ageing occurs when meat and its own juices are vacuum packed in plastic and boxed for
distribution. The plastic packaging does not allow loss of moisture; therefore, the meat can absorb