In short
- What the rule is
- Cooked potentially hazardous food is cooled from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours, then to 5°C within a further 4 hours. Food reheated to hold hot is heated rapidly to 60°C or above.
- Who it applies to
- Any kitchen that cools cooked food to keep, or reheats it to hold hot.
- What you need to do
- Time each stage of cooling with a probe, and reheat quickly on a stove, oven or combi before holding.
- What this does not require
- A kitchen that cooks to order and does not keep cooked food has nothing to record for cooling or reheating.
What the rule says
A food business must, when cooling cooked potentially hazardous food, cool the food: (a) within two hours, from 60°C to 21°C; and (b) within a further four hours, from 21°C to 5°C.
Each stage stands alone. Missing the first two hours breaches the clause even if the food reaches 5°C within six. The business may use a different process if it can show that process is microbiologically safe.
Clause 7(4) requires a heat process that rapidly heats the food to 60°C or above when potentially hazardous food is reheated to be held hot. The Code says rapidly and names no time.
Guidance, not law
WA's regulator reads rapidly as within two hours. The 60°C is law; the two hour clock is the regulator's reading of it, not a figure in the Code.
For a category one business, cooling and reheating are prescribed provisions under Standard 3.2.2A. Where records are kept, cooling records show the times and temperatures through cooling and the date, and reheating records show the time taken, the temperature reached and the date.
Who it applies to
Kitchens that cook in advance and keep food: stocks, sauces, braises, cooked rice, roasted meats. Caterers and hotel kitchens cool and reheat most.
By sector: Catering and Events, Hotels and Clubs
What it looks like in practice
Start cooling as soon as cooking ends. Shallow trays, smaller portions, an ice bath or a blast chiller all help food through the first stage, which is the one most often missed.
Probe the thickest part of the food. Write the time it passed 60°C, the time and temperature at the first check, and the time it reached 5°C.
Reheat on a stove, in an oven or in a combi, then move the food to a bain marie. A bain marie holds food hot but is slow to heat it.
What you are not required to do
- Cooling or reheating records if you do not cool or reheat. A provision only applies if you carry out the activity.
- A reheating temperature above 60°C. The Code's figure is 60°C or above. Higher figures you may see quoted are not in clause 7(4).
- Counting cooling time against the 2 hour and 4 hour rule. Cooling is a separate process under clause 7(3).
Doing it in Hospitality Shield
The cooling log in Hospitality Shield takes one entry for each batch: what was cooled and how many minutes each stage took, with a name and time on each entry. The log can sit on any of your lists.
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Asked about this rule
Does it matter if food misses the first stage but reaches 5°C within six hours?
Yes. Each stage stands alone, so food that takes longer than two hours to reach 21°C has not met clause 7(3), even if it is at 5°C within six hours.
Do we have to reheat to 75°C?
No. Clause 7(4) requires reheating rapidly to 60°C or above when food is to be held hot.
Do we need cooling records if we never keep leftovers?
No. If you do not cool cooked food, the cooling provision does not apply to you.
Sources
- Standard 3.2.2 Food Safety Practices and General Requirements, Federal Register of Legislation
- Cooling and reheating food, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Safe Food Australia: a guide to the food safety standards, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
- Standard 3.2.2A Food Safety Management Tools, Federal Register of Legislation
General information about the rules in Western Australia. It is not legal advice. Your local government's environmental health officer decides how the rules apply to your premises.