Cold Chain in Summer: Deliveries, Register

In summer the cold chain is under the greatest pressure, and at the same time it is what decides food safety. Kebab meat, ice cream, cream, salads - everything kept cold loses it faster in the heat. A delivery left in the sun, a fridge opened constantly because of a queue, or transport without a refrigeration unit is enough to push a product into the danger zone. This article shows how to keep the cold chain in the heat and how to document it - with a simple register template.

The topic applies to every type of business: a kebab shop (meat from the spit and salads), an ice cream shop (the mix and the ice cream) and a food truck (transport in the field). That is why we link to more detailed articles along the way.

The rule versus practice. Regulation 852/2004 requires that raw materials, ingredients, intermediate products and finished products likely to support the growth of pathogens are kept at temperatures that do not cause a risk to health and that the cold chain is not interrupted; limited periods outside temperature control are permitted if they do not cause a risk to health (Annex II, Chapter IX, point 5). Food that is to be stored or served at low temperatures must be cooled after heat treatment as quickly as possible to a temperature that does not cause a risk (point 6). We found no specific figures (for example 5°C or 63°C) or measurement frequencies for foodservice businesses in the regulations; the values in this text are industry practice, described more fully in the article on temperatures.

The key points in brief

• The danger zone (a concept from practice, not from the regulations) is roughly 5-63°C - in this range bacteria multiply faster; in summer a product enters it faster.
• The chain starts at delivery - measure the temperature of the goods on receipt, before you put them in the cold room.
• A short time outside the cold room - everything you take out "for a moment" warms up faster in the heat than you think.
• The temperature register is evidence of continuous cooling - in summer fill it in more often.

Where the chain breaks in summer

A cold chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In the heat the weakest are often:

• Delivery - the goods wait for unloading in a heated vehicle or in the sun at the entrance.
• Receipt and storage - the product lies in the back room before it goes into the cold room.
• Display and production - the ice cream display, meat taken out of the cold room, salads on the counter.
• Transport (a food truck) - the journey to an event without a working refrigeration unit.

Delivery - this is where control begins

A typical mistake is accepting goods "on trust", without measuring. Yet this is the first moment at which you can catch a broken chain:

• Measure the temperature of chilled and frozen products on delivery.
• Reject goods delivered at too high a temperature (set the threshold in your goods receipt procedure). The rule (Annex II, Chapter IX, point 1 of Regulation 852/2004) forbids accepting raw materials known or reasonably expected to be spoiled or contaminated to such an extent that the final product would be unfit for human consumption, but it does not give a temperature threshold.
• Record the measurement and put the goods straight into the cold room; do not leave them "for later". We did not find a rule requiring measurement at every delivery; it is practice that follows from the hazard analysis.

We show how to set up goods receipt step by step in the article goods receipt - checklist.

What this means for a kebab shop, ice cream and a food truck

Kebab. You keep the meat for the spit cold until it is put on, and the salads and sauces below 5°C (a working value from practice). The cooking and reheating temperature is a separate topic - covered in the article HACCP for kebab: the spit and temperatures.

Ice cream. The mix is rapidly cooled after pasteurisation (Annex II, Chapter IX, point 6 of Regulation 852/2004: as quickly as possible to a temperature that does not cause a risk), the ice cream is kept at a constant low temperature, the display without fluctuations. Ice cream is not a "quick-frozen foodstuff" within the meaning of Directive 89/108/EEC (Art. 1(2)), so its -18°C value does not apply to it; the national MRiRW (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) regulation of 2003, as amended in 2010, does not cover edible ice either. Set the storage temperature of ice cream in your HACCP and according to the manufacturer's specification. In summer this is especially sensitive - details in the article Sanepid (the State Sanitary Inspection) in an ice cream shop in summer.

Food truck. The fridge works harder, and transport to an event is often the weakest link. Measure more often and plan to top up the cold. For mobile sales points Regulation 852/2004 requires, where necessary, facilities for maintaining and monitoring suitable food temperature conditions (Annex II, Chapter III, point 2(g)), and for containers and means of transport that they are designed to maintain suitable temperatures and allow those temperatures to be monitored (Chapter IV, point 7).

A simple temperature register template

A register does not have to be complicated - it has to be kept. An example template (a working proposal; the regulations do not specify the form of a register) has the columns:

• Date and time of the measurement,
• Place / equipment (fridge, freezer, display, delivery),
• Measured temperature,
• Corrective action (if the temperature is out of range - what you did),
• Signature / initials.

In summer it is worth adding a second measurement during the day, especially at peak hours. We show how to keep a fridge register without rewriting in the article HACCP fridge temperature register.

The most common mistakes in summer

1. Receiving goods without measuring. You do not catch a broken chain right at the start.
2. Goods left in the back room / in the sun. Every minute in the warmth is a risk.
3. One measurement a day in the heat. In the morning everything is fine, but at noon the display may not cope.
4. Transport without working refrigeration. A food truck going to an event with a refrigeration unit that does not work is a broken chain.
5. No corrective actions in the register. A recorded temperature that is too high with no reaction is worse than no entry.

FAQ - frequently asked questions

What is the danger zone?

It is a concept from HACCP practice, not from the regulations: the range of temperatures that encourages bacteria to multiply, in simplified terms about 5-63°C (the limits are given differently in different places). The aim of the cold chain is to keep food outside this zone: in the cold below 5°C or, after heat treatment, above a safe threshold.

Do I have to measure the temperature at every delivery?

We did not find a rule requiring this directly; it follows from your hazard analysis and practice. A measurement on receipt lets you catch goods delivered at too high a temperature and reject them before they enter your cold room. It is worth recording the measurement.

How often should I keep the temperature register in summer?

The regulations do not give a frequency; you set it in your HACCP. In practice at least once a day is assumed, but on hot days and with heavy traffic it is worth adding a second measurement (for example at peak hours). More important than the frequency is the reaction: if the temperature is out of range, record a corrective action.

Ready-made registers and cold chain procedures

The hardest part is not understanding the rule but keeping registers and corrective actions going day to day - especially in season. The Foundation package from GastroReady gives you ready-made temperature and goods receipt registers and procedures that you adapt to a kebab shop, an ice cream shop or a food truck.

In winter the same cold chain fails for the opposite reason: products partly freeze in transport, storerooms cool down, and refrigeration units work unstably at low ambient temperatures. We described the version for the second half of the year in the guide on the cold chain in winter.

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Legal status as of: 4 October 2026
Legal basis: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (consolidated version of 24 March 2021): Annex II Chapter III point 2(g), Chapter IV point 7, Chapter IX points 1 and 5-6; Council Directive 89/108/EEC, Art. 1(2) (consolidated version of 1 January 2007); Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MRiRW) of 19 September 2003 on the storage and transport of quick-frozen agri-food products (Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) No 177, item 1733, amended by Dz.U. 2010 No 173, item 1175; § 1 as amended). We found no rule giving temperature thresholds for foodservice businesses (including the limits of the "danger zone"), measurement frequency or a register template; these elements, the descriptions of the kebab shop, ice cream shop and food truck, and the working values are industry practice, not law. We did not check the articles to which this post links (kebab, ice cream shop, goods receipt, fridge register) in this review.
Last review: 4 October 2026