Whether a label says chilled, frozen or quick-frozen is not a marketing choice, because the regulation ties a temperature limit to each word. The limit is written by product group, so there is no single figure for frozen.
| Product group | Chilled | Frozen | Deep or quick-frozen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg products (Regulation on Specific Hygiene Rules for Food of Animal Origin, Article 64) | At most 4 °C | At most -12 °C | At most -18 °C |
| Fishery products (Articles 51 and 52) | Near the melting temperature of ice | -18 °C or below | - |
| Quick-frozen foods (Communique 2014/47) | - | - | -18 °C or below at every point |
Why quick-freezing is a category of its own. The Communique defines quick-frozen food by three conditions: the product is made with a suitable freezing process that passes the maximum crystallisation zone as fast as possible, after the temperature stabilises every point is at -18 °C or below, and this is maintained continuously. A short rise during transport and distribution may not exceed 3 °C, and official controls take random temperature readings.
In a mixed load the narrowest band governs: the -18 °C of quick-frozen goods and the ice temperature of fresh fish cannot be held in the same space, so the separation is physical: a separate container, compartment or run. In a passive container the separation is built through plate choice; GEBHARDT eutectic plates come with melting points of -3, -14, -18 and -21 °C and are frozen at least 5 °C below their melting point.
