Gastronomy · Guide

Temperature log for restaurants: documenting HACCP self-monitoring.

By Frigo · Updated: October 2026

Cold appliances are not enough. In a restaurant you also have to be able to prove your self-monitoring. This guide shows what belongs in a temperature log, who keeps it, how to record deviations and corrective actions, whether paper or digital is acceptable and how long to keep the records. Pick your country and you see only what applies to you.

In short

Content: date and time, appliance, target range, reading, initials of the person measuring. For a deviation, add the action taken, who took it and the follow-up check.
Paper or digital: both are possible, as long as the authority can inspect the records during a check.
Retention: the sources we reviewed give no single period for all temperature logs. Some rules and recommendations name one year.
Austria: the guideline for large-scale kitchens requires daily temperature checks with records and allows documentation on paper or in an IT system.
Germany: the basis is Art. 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. Leaflets from district authorities name daily temperature checks and accept records in written or digital form.
Switzerland: under Art. 85 LGV you document in writing or by an equivalent method. The GVG provides for written documentation at least weekly or when there is a deviation.
The same everywhere: a recorded deviation without an action is only half the evidence.

Who this guide is for

Restaurants, inns, cafés and bars with fridges and freezers
Hotel kitchens, caterers and large-scale kitchens with several cold storage points
Head chefs and responsible persons who introduce or review the log

Which temperatures apply and how often to check is covered in the guide to cold room monitoring. This guide is about how you record those checks. If you deliver food chilled, the rules for the road are in the guide to the cold chain in transport. What daycare centres, schools, care homes and hospitals need on top is covered in the guide to communal catering.

What the duty to document covers

In Austria and Germany, Art. 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 applies directly. Businesses must put in place procedures based on HACCP principles and keep documents and records appropriate to the nature and size of the business. They provide evidence in the form the competent authority requires. In Switzerland, Art. 85 of the Foodstuffs and Utility Articles Ordinance (LGV) requires the self-monitoring concept and the measures taken to be documented in writing or by an equivalent method. Very small businesses may reduce documentation appropriately.

In its notice on food safety management systems (2022), the European Commission states that in small businesses maintaining the correct temperature matters more than recording every reading, and that records there could be limited to deviations. This is interpretive guidance, not an exemption. The Austrian guideline for large-scale kitchens, for example, requires daily records. What is enough for your business is decided by the applicable guideline and the competent authority.

What belongs in a temperature log

The sources we reviewed prescribe no mandatory template. The guidelines and leaflets do, however, share a common core:

Date and time of the reading. The time is a recommendation; it helps when you measure several times a day and readings need to be clearly attributable.
Appliance or room, clearly named, such as “Cold room 1” or “Freezer cellar”.
Target range, on the sheet itself or on the appliance. The Austrian guidelines require target temperatures to be stated.
Reading, exactly as read.
Name or initials of the person who measured.
For a deviation: what was done, by whom, when, and what the follow-up check showed.

Thermometer checks belong here too. The Austrian guideline for large-scale kitchens requires thermometers to be checked regularly for proper function; the Swiss GVG names an annual check as an example, and that check is documented.

What a log can look like

A suggestion, not a mandatory template. It summarises what the sources name. Adapt it to your guideline and your business.

Column	What goes in	Example
Date, time	when the reading was taken	6 Oct, 07:05
Appliance	a clear name	Freezer cellar
Target range	the range you have set	−18 °C or colder
Reading	the value read	−14.5 °C
Initials	who measured	MK
Action	only for a deviation: cause, what was done, decision on the food	Door not fully shut, closed; food checked, head chef informed
Follow-up	time, reading, initials	08:10, −18.4 °C, MK

Example values for illustration. The target ranges that apply are in the guide to cold room monitoring.

Who is responsible

Responsibility lies with the food business operator, in Switzerland with the responsible person under Art. 73 LGV. That person checks compliance or has it checked and, where necessary, takes action immediately (Art. 74 LGV). Staff can take the readings. What matters is that it is clear who does what.

Who measures: the person who initials the entry. Recommendation: also name a stand-in for days off and holidays.
Who reviews: for records on critical control points, the European Commission provides for the signature of the person monitoring and of the person reviewing the records. For the temperature log this is a sensible guide.
Who decides on deviations: who decides about the food and whom they call in, such as the refrigeration technician.
Who is trained: anyone who measures should know the procedure and the actions for deviations.

Deviations: corrective action and evidence

The European Commission recommends setting corrective actions for critical control points in advance so that they apply immediately when a deviation occurs. The GVG likewise requires you to define how to proceed when temperatures deviate. A sequence based on these sources:

Record the deviation. Appliance, time, reading, initials.
Fix the cause. Door, seal, overfilling, defrosting, a faulty appliance. If needed, move the food or call the technician.
Decide about the food. What was affected, for how long and how warm. Limits and guidance are in the guide to cold room monitoring.
Record the follow-up check. When you measured again and with what result.
If it recurs, review the procedure. The European Commission advises revising hygiene measures or the process when deviations recur.

For the written record of a corrective action, the European Commission names date, time, type of action, the person acting and the subsequent check.

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Paper or digital

The sources allow both. The European Commission explicitly names electronic records as an option, provided they are available to the authority on request. The Austrian guideline for large-scale kitchens names hard copy and IT systems. The LGV speaks of written or equivalent, and a German district leaflet names records in digital or written form as evidence.

Form	What to keep in mind
Paper sheet	Simple and right at the appliance. Shows only the moments when someone measures. Entries can be missing, illegible or filled in later.
Digital record	Measures continuously and shows the history. The data must be accessible during an inspection. Actions for deviations still have to be recorded.

In Austria, the WKO training script “Hygiene im Gastgewerbe” states that even automatically monitored cold stores with alarms should also have thermometers for visual checks, and that regular printouts of the temperature records are required.

How long to keep records

Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires records to be kept “for an appropriate period”, without a figure. The European Commission explains: long enough for the information to remain available for tracing and for official controls. Specific periods exist only for individual cases:

Source	Statement
Regulation (EC) No 37/2005 (EU)	Temperature records for quick-frozen foods in storage facilities and means of transport: at least one year.
Retail guideline (AT)	Freezer facilities over 10 m³ with a recording thermometer, records at least one year.
Wetteraukreis (DE)	recommends at least twelve months, depending on the product.
HyV Annex 2 (CH)	Temperature records for deep-frozen foods in storage facilities and means of transport: at least one year.
GVG (CH)	Delivery documents and internal goods-in check documents: at least one year or until the next official inspection.
Canton of Zug (CH)	Keep control records for a maximum of two years.

The sources we reviewed give no single period for all temperature logs in hospitality. Whether the rules for frozen foods apply to the freezer in your kitchen is something to clarify with the competent authority in each case. Working to one year meets the minimum values named above, but ask if in doubt.

What inspectors look at

Official inspections check, among other things, self-monitoring measures. The sources we reviewed support these points:

Whether records exist. The Canton of Zug names the temperature check list as an example.
Whether monitoring and corrective actions are recorded. This is what the European Commission's example checklist asks.
Whether records are signed and verified and whether they match the values observed on site (also from the EU checklist).
Whether thermometers are checked (Austrian guideline for large-scale kitchens, GVG).
Access to documents on paper and data carriers. In Austria, under § 35 LMSVG, inspectors may examine business records on paper and data carriers and make copies or printouts. In Switzerland, under Art. 85a LGV, businesses give access to their documents and information systems.

Austria: guidelines and training script

Guideline for large-scale kitchens

The hygiene guideline for large-scale kitchens, healthcare kitchens and comparable communal catering facilities (GZ 2025-0.879.838 of 4 Dec 2025) requires daily temperature checks of fridges and freezers with records, target ranges for each unit and recording thermometers. Self-monitoring measures must be recorded in a traceable way; documentation can be flexible, such as hard copy or an IT system. It was not written specifically for restaurants but can serve as guidance.

Guideline for retail businesses

This guideline contains, in Annex 1b, additional requirements for hospitality businesses with an extensive food offering. It provides for checking chilling temperatures every working day, preferably at the start of work, and documenting deviations together with the actions taken. Its deviation form has columns for location or affected appliance, date of the deviation, actions taken, and when and by whom with a signature.

WKO training script “Hygiene im Gastgewerbe”

The training script (as of July 2025) suggests a temperature list with a column for the date, one for the temperature and one for the name or initials, plus the target temperature on the list and space for actions when there is a deviation. It is training material, not a guideline.

The sources differ: the guideline for large-scale kitchens requires daily records, while the retail guideline puts the emphasis on documenting deviations. If in doubt, ask the food inspectorate which guideline it applies to your business.

Germany: regulation and district authorities

Legal basis

The key provision is Art. 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. We found no nationwide mandatory form for the temperature log. The competent district authorities set out the requirements in leaflets, which may differ in detail.

What leaflets say

Kreis Dithmarschen (02/2025): continuous temperature checks of all freezers and fridges on every working day, expressly relevant for restaurants. Records in digital or written form count as evidence.
Wetteraukreis (2025): a continuous temperature check of all freezers and fridges at least once a day. Records are to be kept for an appropriate period; at least twelve months is recommended, depending on the product.

The DEHOGA guideline for good hygiene practice in hospitality (3rd edition, 7/2022) is listed as a national guideline. It is sold for a fee and we have not reviewed its content. If in doubt, ask your food inspectorate what it expects.

Switzerland: LGV, GVG and cantons

Ordinance

Every business must name a responsible person (Art. 73 LGV). That person ensures self-monitoring (Art. 74 LGV), which under Art. 85 LGV is documented in writing or by an equivalent method, appropriate to the risk and the scale of production.

GVG

The guideline on good practice in the hospitality industry (GVG, 2nd edition 2019, approved by the FSVO) places businesses in four categories according to staff numbers and meals per service. The category determines how extensively self-monitoring is documented. For storage it provides, in all categories, for a daily visual check and written documentation at least once a week or when there is a deviation. You also have to define how to proceed when temperatures deviate.

Canton of Zug

The self-monitoring leaflet for hospitality businesses (version 1.25) names the temperature check list as an example of records whose existence is checked during inspections, and states that the responsible person must investigate the causes of deviations and take action. Other cantons may have their own leaflets.

Where a paper log leaves gaps

Snapshots only. The morning reading says nothing about what happened overnight.
Entries filled in later. Values added at the end of the week are hard to tell apart from real readings.
Missing action. The deviation is in the log, but not what happened next.
Missing initials. On days off someone else measures, or nobody does.

What a sensor adds

A sensor measures around the clock and writes every reading with a timestamp to a continuous record. When a value leaves your limit, Frigo alerts all the people you name by app and email, with SMS available as an add-on. If a sensor or the connectivity unit stops sending data, Frigo alerts the named people. For each sensor, Frigo automatically creates a monthly PDF report with the limits and the deviations that you can file or print, and you can export the data at any time. For each alert you can record the corrective action taken as a comment and acknowledge the alert. You manage several sites, users and roles in one workspace.

Important: Frigo measures the air temperature at the sensor's location, not the core temperature of the food. It supports your self-monitoring and documentation, but it replaces neither the assessment of a deviation by the responsible person nor the checking of your thermometers or an official inspection. Whether a digital record in this form is sufficient for your business is decided by the competent authority.

If power fails, the connectivity unit keeps running on its built-in battery for about four hours and continues to send alerts during that time, as long as the mobile network is available. Once the battery is empty, Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. The sensors do not store readings, so there is no data for that period. New readings arrive once the connectivity unit has power again.

How the system is built is explained under How does Frigo work?.

Four things to set per appliance

the target range and the limit at which a deviation begins
who measures and initials, including on days off
which corrective action applies to a deviation and who decides about the food
where the log is kept and for how long

Frequently asked questions

What must a temperature log contain?

The sources we reviewed prescribe no mandatory template. Common entries are date and time, the appliance, the target range, the reading and the initials of the person measuring. For a deviation, add the action taken, the person acting and the follow-up check.

May I keep the temperature log digitally?

Yes. The European Commission names electronic records as an option, provided they are available to the authority on request. The Austrian guideline for large-scale kitchens allows an IT system, the Swiss LGV an equivalent method. An Austrian WKO training script considers additional thermometers for visual checks and regular printouts necessary when monitoring is automatic.

How long do I have to keep temperature logs?

The sources we reviewed give no single period. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires an appropriate period. For frozen foods in storage facilities, the EU and Switzerland name at least one year, a German district recommends at least twelve months and the Canton of Zug names a maximum of two years. If in doubt, clarify the period with your authority.

What do I record for a deviation?

Appliance, time and reading, the cause, what you did, what happened to the food, who acted and the result of the follow-up check. The European Commission names date, time, type of action, the person acting and the subsequent check.

Who has to sign the log?

At least the person who measures. For records on critical control points, the European Commission also provides for the signature of the person reviewing the records. Responsibility remains with the food business operator, in Switzerland with the responsible person.

Does Frigo replace the temperature log?

Frigo continuously records the air temperature at the sensor's location, alerts you to deviations and creates monthly PDF reports. You can record corrective actions directly on the alert as a comment. Assessing deviations and checking thermometers remain your task. Whether the digital record is sufficient for your business is decided by the competent authority.

Sources

Your temperature log in view

Measure around the clock, learn about deviations immediately and have the history for your self-monitoring automatically.

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This article is guidance, not legal advice. Guidelines, leaflets and notices are aids to orientation; the applicable regulations and the decisions of the competent authority are decisive. Frigo measures the air temperature at the sensor's location, not the core temperature of the food, and replaces neither self-monitoring nor an audit. Alerts require a working connection. During a power cut the connectivity unit keeps running on its built-in battery for about four hours, after that Frigo reports that the connectivity unit has stopped sending data. Sources as of: October 2026.