The cold room works. Proving it is the problem.
In food, the cold itself is rarely the problem. The problem shows up when the inspection arrives and you have to produce a history, and what exists is a sheet filled in by hand twice a day, whenever somebody remembered. This page sets out what the rules actually require, and what it takes to meet them.
Three texts, and they do not say the same thing.
They are worth separating, because the specific obligation depends on which product you handle and in what state.
- Quick-frozen food: Regulation (EC) No 37/2005 requires air temperature to be monitored in means of transport and in storage and warehousing premises, with instruments conforming to EN 12830, and those records to be kept. Here the recording obligation is explicit.
- In Spain, additionally: Order ITC/3701/2006 places temperature recorders and thermometers intended for temperature-controlled products under State metrological control. Not just any device that reads degrees will do.
- Chilled product generally: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 does not tell you which device to buy, but it does require a self-control system based on HACCP principles. You must be able to demonstrate that temperature is under control, and recording is the practical way to demonstrate it.
- The practical consequence: the useful question is not “which probe do I buy?” but “what history will I be asked for, from which points, and over what period?”. That is what determines the number of measuring points, the logging interval and how much memory you need.
This is general information about the applicable rules, not legal or food-safety advice. Your inspector may ask for specifics depending on your activity and region.
The questions first, the equipment after.
What you handle
Product, state (chilled, quick-frozen), activity and which rules you answer to: a pharmacy is not a central kitchen.
What you are asked for
Which records your self-control system requires, at what frequency, and how long you must keep them.
What has to be measured
How many rooms and of what type, whether you run your own vehicles, and the distance from the furthest point to the receiver. That is what sizes an installation.
Which equipment fits
Only then can equipment be chosen on the merits rather than the other way round. We work with the manufacturers we represent and, if another fits better, we say so.
What we deliver, specifically.
What people ask
How many measuring points do we need?
It depends on the site, and we are not going to give you a number over the phone. What we can tell you is which questions have to be answered before buying anything: how many rooms and of what type, whether you run your own vehicles, the distance from the furthest point to the receiver, and how much history your inspector asks for.
Will any logger from an electronics shop do?
Not for quick-frozen: Regulation 37/2005 calls for instruments conforming to EN 12830, and in Spain Order ITC/3701/2006 additionally places them under metrological control. A generic sensor without that conformity leaves your record with no evidential value.
What if I only handle chilled, not frozen?
Then the obligation reaches you through the HACCP self-control system of Regulation 852/2004: it does not fix the device, but it does require you to demonstrate control. In practice, recording is how you demonstrate it.
Does SGI install the equipment?
No. We represent the manufacturers and help you choose; the physical installation is done by an installer. We are not going to tell you we have our own installer network, because we do not.