Chilled food must be stored at 8°C or less. Frozen food must be stored at -18°C or less. Hot food must be stored at 63°C or more
High-risk foods must be kept cold (below 8°C) to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria. These include meat, seafood, soft or semi-hard cheeses, yogurt and other dairy products, and cooked food that contains meat, seafood or eggs.
In many countries, the law permits a maximum of four hours out of chilled temperature control, but it is good practice to dispose of unchilled high-risk food after two hours. If a vendor cooks meat or seafood items offsite and brings them to the market, any food that remains unsold must be disposed of within 4 hours of cooking.
Vendors with high risk foods should either use a refrigeration unit or an insulated container with ice packs (e.g. frozen plastic water bottles). A thermometer is required to check the temperature on a regular basis and ensure that is remains below 8°C. High-risk vendors should keep a log book and record temperatures at least once in 2 hours.
Vendors that cook at the market should ensure that food is thoroughly cooked to 75°C or above. Vendors that are cooking meat at the market should use a food probe thermometer to confirm that a proper temperature was reached.
Prepared food and fresh eggs must not be displayed in direct sunlight because it can increase temperature and lead to bacteria growth. If a stall gets afternoon sun in the front, prepared food vendors should set up farther back. If a stall gets afternoon sun in the back, prepared food vendors should set up in the front.