New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries

Authority

Official guidance

Territories

NZ

Primacy

primary

Commercial interest

none

Retrieved

2026-08-13

State

Read and citable

Original document

Retrieved as a 106,061-byte PDF by plain HTTP after the MPI page itself yielded only a download link. States the danger zone as 5–60 °C, requires hot food above 60 °C, requires food to reach 75 °C before going into a bain-marie, requires two-hourly checks beyond two hours, and — the operative part for a planner — 'If hot food has been held at a temperature below 60°C for more than 2 hours, it must be thrown away.' Below the floor for LESS than two hours it may be reheated above 60 °C or cooled below 5 °C within four hours.

Safety, Technical

• Explicitly not culinary practice: A bain-marie compliance tool is not a statement about eating quality.

• “If hot food has been held at a temperature below 60°C for more than 2 hours, it must be thrown away.”

  New Zealand MPI requires hot food to be kept above 60 °C, states the temperature danger zone as 5–60 °C, requires food to be heated to 75 °C or more before being placed in a bain-marie or hot cabinet, requires temperature checks every two hours beyond the first two, and requires food held below 60 °C for more than two hours to be thrown away.

  Safety regime:

  Retail and food service. A Food Control Plan tool is a compliance instrument for a registered business.

  Where it applies:

  New Zealand.

  Below the floor for LESS than two hours the food may be reheated above 60 °C and served hot, or cooled below 5 °C within four hours.