Standard Operating Procedure 6 (SOP 6)
Cooling and Freezing of Food
Why we have a procedure?
Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (hereafter referred to as The Trust)
Catering Service is committed to providing food for our patients, staff and visitors which
is safe to eat, nutritious and meets their quality expectations.
The Food Safety Act 1990, Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 (sections 1 and
2) and the EC 852/2004 on Food Stuffs set out clear minimum requirements for food
hygiene and safety with the fundamental objectives being the pursuit of the highest
level of protection of human life and health. Catering Services comply with all relevant
legal requirements for food safety within the parameters in which it operates.
This SOP outlines the enhanced food safety procedures to be used to reduce product
risk and the associated threat of food borne illness when cooling of freezing food. The
procedure is based on industry best practice and departmental experience and
expertise. This procedure is necessary as slow cooling of foods at warm temperatures
could stimulate the growth of harmful bacteria, germination of bacterial spores and the
production of harmful bacterial poisons. Freezing also presents a potential cause of
cross contamination and poor food quality if incorrect freezing technique is used.
What overarching policy the procedure links to?

Food Safety Policy
Which services of the trust does this apply to? Where is it in operation?
Group
Mental Health Services
Learning Disabilities Services
Children and Young People Services
Inpatients



Community



Locations
all
all
all
Who does the procedure apply to?



Food Handlers and Catering Staff
Ward staff involved in the ordering and serving of food for in-patients
Therapists undertaking food preparation and education of patients
When should the procedure be applied?


When food needs to be cooled
When food is to be frozen
Cooling and Freezing of Food
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How to carry out this procedure
Cooling without a Blast Chiller

After cooking, reduce the bulk of food by portioning and place into suitable chilled
shallow containers with food at a maximum depth of 50mm

Place container in coolest part of kitchen and cover with greaseproof paper. The
denser the food the slower the cooling process will be

The warmest part of the food must achieve 8° c or colder within 4 hours of the end
of cooking. Assist the cooling process with active cooling e.g. refrigeration or ice
bath within the 4 hours. It is unlikely that the require temperature will be achieved
without active cooling assistance. However this must not be to the detriment of
other food products e.g. other food stored in the refrigerator

Discard stored food if the temperature exceeds 8° c, also discard food being
chilled if 8° c is not achieved within 4 hours

Label all chilled food with date of production, description of food and “use by” date

To protect food from cross-contamination it must be kept separate from other raw
foods, clean sanitized trays must be used and it must be kept covered (keeping it
covered will slow the cooling process but will aid in prevention of crosscontamination)

In the absence of a specific cook book or manufacturer’s instructions, food should
be chilled using this process and must be consumed within 48 hours of chilling
Freezing

In house freezing should be an exception rather than the rule (unless a blast
chiller is available) and only small quantities should be frozen

Check that the food is in good condition, has been stored at the correct
temperature and is within shelflife limitation. Discard if necessary

If a product, as supplied, has a “use by” date it can only be frozen if it is to be
cooked at a later date

Correctly label the product

Ensure the food is 8° c or colder before freezing and in an appropriate sealed
container or packaging with as much air excluded as possible. The smaller the
size and the tighter the packaging, the quicker the food will freeze. Denser food
will take longer to freeze

Place on the appropriate freezer shelf with plenty of air space between them.
Food must be frozen to -15° c or colder

Use all foods frozen in house within one month of freezing

Food must never be re-frozen
Where do I go for further advice or information?


Infection Prevention and Control Team
Facilities Manager
Training
Staff may receive training in relation to this procedure, where it is identified in their
appraisal as part of the specific development needs for their role and responsibilities.
Please refer to the Trust’s Mandatory & Risk Management Training Needs Analysis for
Cooling and Freezing of Food
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further details on training requirements, target audiences and update frequencies
Monitoring / Review of this Procedure
In the event of planned change in the process(es) described within this document or an
incident involving the described process(es) within the review cycle, this SOP will be
reviewed and revised as necessary to maintain its accuracy and effectiveness.
Equality Impact Assessment
Please refer to overarching policy
Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act
Please refer to overarching policy
Cooling and Freezing of Food
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Standard Operating Procedure Details
Unique Identifier for this SOP is
BCPFT-EST-SOP-02-6
State if SOP is New or Revised
New
Policy Category
Estates
Executive Director
whose portfolio this SOP comes under
Policy Lead/Author
Job titles only
Committee/Group Responsible for
Approval of this SOP
Director of Estates
Catering Manager
Food and Hydration Steering Group
Month/year consultation process
completed
April 2016
Month/year SOP was approved
June 2016
Next review due
June 2019
Disclosure Status
‘B’ can be disclosed to patients and the public
Review and Amendment History
Version
Date
Description of Change
1.0
June
2016
New SOP for BCPFT to support Food Safety Policy
Cooling and Freezing of Food
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