Turkish Food Codex communiqué 2014/48 requires the ambient temperature of quick-frozen food to be recorded at regular intervals, with suitable devices, during storage and carriage. Article 4(c) describes the device by standard rather than by brand: measuring and recording instruments must conform to three TSE standards, and the food business must hold the documents that prove it.
| Standard | What it covers | What an inspector asks for |
|---|---|---|
| TS EN 12830 | Temperature recorders | Conformity document |
| TS EN 13485 | Thermometers | Conformity document |
| TS EN 13486 | Periodic verification | Verification record |
If the document did not come with the device, get it from the supplier. Records carry date and time and are kept for at least one year, longer where the product's shelf life calls for it. For a frozen product with an eighteen-month shelf life, a one-year archive runs out while the product is still on the market.
Distribution, display cabinets and small cold rooms
Points (d) and (e) of Article 4 grant an exception to these duties. In distribution and in retail display cabinets, ambient temperature is measured with at least one easily visible thermometer, and the same relief applies to retail cold rooms under 10 m³. In an open display cabinet the maximum load line is clearly marked and the thermometer shows the return air at that level. Return air has already passed over the product and picked up heat, so it reads higher than the discharge side.
The exception lands precisely on the closing link of the chain.
