<2
Less than 2 hours
The food may be used, sold or returned to refrigeration for later use.
Temperature control · operator guide
The 2-hour / 4-hour rule is about cumulative time, not one isolated reading.
Potentially hazardous ready-to-eat food can spend limited time between 5°C and 60°C. The key operational control is tracking the total cumulative time, including preparation, transport, storage and display.
2–4
Between 2 and 4 hours
The food may be used or sold, but should not be returned to refrigeration for later use.
4+
More than 4 hours
The food must not be sold and should be discarded.
What to capture
Record the decision trail, not paperwork for its own sake.
- Start time: when the food first leaves temperature control.
- Subsequent periods: add every later period between 5°C and 60°C.
- Total elapsed time: use the cumulative time to determine whether food can be chilled again, used immediately or discarded.
- Action taken: if the limit is exceeded or the time is uncertain, record the disposal or corrective action.
Do not confuse this with cooling
FSANZ explicitly distinguishes the 2-hour / 4-hour rule from the mandatory two-stage cooling process. Cooling cooked food from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours and then to 5°C within the next 4 hours is a separate control.
Cumulative timePreparation + displayDecision outcomeCorrective action
Operational principle
The best record is one that helps the team make the correct decision in real time and leaves enough evidence for later review. A timestamped digital record can reduce the risk of reconstructing elapsed time from memory.
Official sources: FSANZ — 2-hour / 4-hour rule and FSANZ — Processing food safely.
Turn time and temperature controls into searchable evidence.
CSA FSMS records checks, timestamps and corrective actions in one workflow.