Kosten durch Vernichtung von Lebensmitteln wegen Temperaturverstößen

Definition

The Australian concept of the temperature danger zone (5°C–60°C) is embedded in national and state guidance; potentially hazardous food must be kept at or below 5°C or at or above 60°C, and time can only be used as a control within strict limits (the 2‑hour/4‑hour rule).[3][5][7][9] Queensland Health guidance states that if a business does not know the temperature history of food, it cannot use time as a control and must keep the food at or below 5°C or at or above 60°C instead.[3] The same guidance describes that potentially hazardous food held in the danger zone beyond allowed time must not be sold and needs to be discarded.[3][7] Training materials for cold food transport likewise advise that where cold food has exceeded 5°C during transport, operators must record the incident and discard or return compromised food depending on severity.[1] For caterers with manual, sporadic logging, it is common that temperature history is incomplete or unknown for some batches, especially during transport, buffet service or cooling, forcing managers to throw food away to remain compliant. Logic‑based financial estimate: for a mid‑size caterer turning over several hundred thousand to a few million AUD, discarding just AUD 200–500 worth of food per week due to uncertain temperature history leads to AUD 10,000–25,000/year in direct product loss; for larger institutional or event caterers this can easily reach AUD 50,000–100,000/year.

Why This Matters

The Pitch: Australian 🇦🇺 catering businesses lose AUD 10,000–100,000 per year in avoidable food wastage because they cannot prove temperature compliance. Automated temperature logging and HACCP‑aligned workflows allow safe extension of holding times within legal limits and reduce unnecessary disposal.

Affected Stakeholders

Head chefs, Catering managers, Food safety officers, Procurement and cost controllers

Related Business Risks