Is your fridge warmer than recommended?

According to Appliance City, the average fridge temperature in the UK is 7ºC. If your fridges are used for storing food, this temperature would exceed the guidelines laid out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). It would also be perilously close to the so-called 'danger zone' for bacterial growth.

So what temperature should a fridge be in the UK? And what is meant by the danger zone?

What temperature should a fridge be?

UK public health guidance, set by the FSA, recommends an upper limit of 5ºC for refrigerated food. Food stored at and below this temperature will last longer before it has to be thrown out.

Temperature is one of the main factors that determine how fast bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms reproduce. While all foods will contain these organisms, the reproductive rate speeds up as temperature increases. Due to exponential growth (the doubling of each organism), it doesn't take much warming before these organisms can start to pose a risk to human health.

The danger zone lies between 8ºC and 63ºC. This is the optimum range for microbe growth, so those fridges that are around 7ºC inside are flirting with danger. That is why the FSA have placed an upper limit of 5ºC on their recommendations.

What is the ideal fridge temperature range?

It is almost impossible to achieve a consistent 5ºC throughout your fridge, which is why it is generally recommended that food be stored between 3ºC and 5ºC.

However, if you specialise in certain types of food and/or run a lot of fridges, you might want to fine tune the temperature.

What temperature should a fridge be for high risk foods?

Meat, seafood, dairy and other high risk foods should definitely be stored towards the lower end of the recommended temperature range.

In fact, you might want to consider storing these products between 1ºC and 2ºC. This will maximise their shelf life and, most importantly, minimise the risk of food poisoning.

What temperature should a fridge be for low risk foods?

Low risk foods, like most fruit and veg, cans of drink and confectionary are probably best stored toward the higher end of the range 4ºC to 5ºC.

The colder the temperature of your fridge, the harder the pump will have to work. This will lead to greater energy use and higher bills.

Positioning food items in your fridges

As mentioned above, the temperature of your fridge is unlikely to be uniform, so if you store a range of food types, you can optimise their storage through being strategic with your positioning.

The coolest part of your fridge is usually the bottom shelf above your salad drawers. Here is where you should store your meat and seafood. As well as keeping these high risk foods as cool as possible, you will minimise the risk of contamination through spillage onto less risky food items.

The warmest part of the fridge is usually at the top of the door compartment. The door is the first part of the fridge to be exposed to warm air when opened, which is why it is best to keep condiments and juices, etc., there rather than eggs and milk. These are better off in the main body of the fridge.

How to check your fridge temperature (even when your thermostat isn't working)

If your fridge thermostat is unreliable or faulty, there are a few ways you can determine the temperature of your fridge interior. We have written a full article on this, but here's a brief summary of your options:

Buy a dedicated fridge/appliance thermometer. This is recommended by the FSA.
Stand a regular thermometer in some water and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Probe individual items with a sterilised food probe. This is a useful workaround if you are short on time and need to quickly determine the temperature of high risk foods such as meat.

What should you do if your fridge temperature is too high?

The first thing you should do is dispose of any food items unless you are certain they have been stored within a safe range. You should follow FSA guidance to make that decision. For high risk foods, it is best to err on the side of caution and dispose of the items responsibly.

Next, you should diagnose what is wrong with your fridge. A qualified refrigeration engineer can do this for you, but common culprits are faulty pumps and fans.

If there is nothing mechanically wrong with your fridge, check the door seals (gaskets) as detailed in other articles on this site. If they are healthy and intact, give them a good clean and monitor for improvement.

If they are damaged, degraded or warped, you will need to source a replacement. Fortunately, you are in exactly the right place because Gasket Guy can supply and fit gaskets for almost any type of fridge or freezer. Visit our home page for more specific guidance.