The cold chain in catering (cadena de frío) is the continuous control of the temperature of chilled food from the moment it is prepared until it reaches the guest’s plate, through storage, transport and set-up. And it is a food hygiene requirement as well as a matter of quality.
The cold chain in the kitchen (not for vaccines)
If you search for “cold chain”, the first things that come up are vaccines and pharmaceutical logistics. In the kitchen it means something else: a perishable food never leaving its safe temperature from the moment it is made until it is served. If one link fails (a cold room that is not cooling, a journey without refrigeration, a tray left in the sun), the chain is broken, even if everything else was done right.
What the rules say
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, in Annex II, Chapter IX, sets it out in three points, without giving figures:
- Raw materials, ingredients and products likely to support the reproduction of pathogenic micro-organisms or the formation of toxins are not to be kept at temperatures that might result in a risk to health.
- “The cold chain is not to be interrupted.”
- Limited periods outside temperature control are permitted to accommodate the practicalities of handling during preparation, transport, storage, display and service of food, provided they do not result in a risk to health.
The same regulation lists it among its founding principles (Article 1): foods that cannot be stored safely at ambient temperature, particularly frozen foods, must maintain the cold chain.
The temperatures set by law
The EU regulation gives no figures, but Spain does set them for prepared meals, which is what a caterer serves. They are laid down in Article 30 of Royal Decree 1086/2020:
| Situation | Legal temperature |
|---|---|
| Chilled meals eaten within 24 hours | 8 °C at most |
| Chilled meals with a shelf life over 24 hours | 4 °C at most |
| Frozen meals | –18 °C at most |
| Meals kept hot | 63 °C at least |
| Cooling after cooking | From 60 °C to 10 °C in under 2 hours |
| Reheating | 74 °C at the core for at least 15 seconds |
Other chilling temperatures are only allowed if the producer shows the health authority, on scientific grounds, that they are safe. Each business sets out its checks in its own HACCP (APPCC) plan. For the home, AESAN gives similar advice: cold food at 5 °C at most, hot food above 60 °C and leftovers never more than 2 hours out of the fridge.
Keeping it cold in catering
| Stage | What we watch |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Chill anything served cold as quickly as possible and keep it refrigerated until loading |
| Storage | Cold enough, food covered, raw kept apart from cooked |
| Transport | Equipment that keeps the temperature, and checks during the journey |
| Set-up on site | Cold food stays in its container until it is needed; nothing in the sun |
| Service | Top up in small batches and do not leave full platters sitting out |
Bringing food out in batches, rather than all at once, helps more than you might think. And the mise en place must put the cooling equipment on the loading list.
Cold chain and food safety
The cold chain is one of the points monitored under HACCP, and it goes hand in hand with cross-contamination: a cold dish kept at the right temperature but stored next to raw food is not safe either.
At an event
In our daily contract catering service we cook every day and deliver at the agreed time, with temperature control during transport. At an event the key is the same: ask the caterer how they transport food and keep it cold, and give them space and access to unload. Cold dishes, desserts and starters that are not cooked on site are the ones that need it most, especially in summer and outdoors.
If you are organising an event, get a quote and tell us the venue and the journey time: we take both into account when planning the service.