Chilled vs frozen storage: choosing the right conditions

What is the difference between chilled and frozen storage?

Chilled storage keeps a product cold without intentionally freezing it. Frozen storage maintains a product in a frozen condition. The correct choice depends on how the food was produced, its packaging, intended use and the storage instructions supplied with it.

Do not choose a chamber from the product name alone. Two products in the same broad category may have different specifications. Ask the producer or your quality team to confirm the required conditions before requesting warehouse space, and communicate those conditions to everyone involved in receiving, storage and dispatch.

Why there is no universal cold-room temperature

A lower temperature is not automatically better for every food. UC Davis guidance on produce compatibility explains that fruit and vegetables differ in their temperature, humidity and ethylene requirements. Its short-term compatibility chart is not a universal rule for long-term storage. The UC Davis tomato guidance also illustrates how ripeness and chilling sensitivity affect storage decisions.

For quick-frozen foods, FAO and WHO identify −18°C as the reference temperature in existing international guidance. This is a reference for that category, not a statement about every food or a temperature service promised by ACFIC. Confirm the applicable product specification and requirements for your consignment.

When sending an enquiry, attach the actual storage instruction rather than asking for the “coldest room”. If your product requires a particular humidity level, separation from other goods or additional controls, include those details from the outset.

Storage and initial cooling are different requirements

Tell the provider what condition the goods will be in when they arrive. Maintaining goods that already meet the agreed specification is a different requirement from cooling warm goods or freezing an unfrozen product. Do not assume that an ordinary storage booking includes either process.

If you need initial cooling or freezing, describe that requirement explicitly and ask whether the facility is equipped and the service agreed for that purpose. Confirm the acceptance criteria before transport is arranged. This avoids sending a load to a warehouse that has space but cannot provide the process your goods need.

Separate room settings from evidence about the product

A controller setting, an air-temperature reading and a product-temperature measurement answer different questions. Ask which measurements will be taken at receipt and during storage, where they are taken, and how the results are recorded. Your quality team should define the appropriate method and limits for the product.

Agree how readings outside the accepted range are reported, who assesses the goods, and who can authorise release. FAO’s guidance on control of operation is a useful starting point for discussing time and temperature controls. Records should support a decision, not simply provide a number without context.

Plan the handovers as well as the time in storage

Map the journey from the supplier’s loading point to the warehouse and onward to the customer. For each handover, identify who is responsible, which documents accompany the goods and how the receiving team will know the required conditions.

Ask about delivery appointments, staging arrangements and the information needed before a vehicle arrives. Keep the transport provider and warehouse working from the same specification. A well-prepared storage brief should cover the whole movement rather than beginning only when a pallet reaches its assigned location.

What to include in a temperature-controlled storage enquiry

• Exact product description and the supplier’s storage specification.
• Whether the load arrives chilled, frozen or requires another process.
• Quantity, packaging, expected dates and planned storage duration.
• Any compatibility, humidity or segregation requirements.
• Required records and a quality contact for exceptions.

Read our cold-storage buyer’s checklist to compare providers, or contact ACFIC to discuss your requirements. Service suitability, temperature requirements and availability must be confirmed for your particular goods.