Slovenia: food temperature rules

“Law” is a binding rule. “Official guidance” is not law, but inspectors expect it. “Chef Hygiene default” is a value the app checks against where no rule gives a number.

• Official guidanceNo Slovenian law sets restaurant fridge, hot-holding, cooling or reheating numbers. The values below come from the national catering guide (December 2010), as printed in NIJZ staff texts.
• Official guidanceChilled storage and goods-in: below 5°C, or as the label says. Some NIJZ lines say below 4°C for raw food and cooked cold dishes.
• Official guidanceFrozen food: −18°C or colder. For quick-frozen food this is law, with short rises of up to 3°C allowed (Rulebook 87/14, Art. 5).
• Official guidanceCooking, core temperature for 15 seconds: 74°C for poultry pieces, game, stuffings and dishes with minced-meat stuffing; 68°C for pork and minced or chopped meat; 63°C for beef, veal, lamb, fish, eggs, dairy, rice and pasta.
• Official guidanceHot holding: 63°C or hotter in the core. Below that, reheat or throw the food away. Serve within 2 hours of cooking, and never after 4 hours.
• Official guidanceCooling in two stages: from 63°C to 20°C within 2 hours, then to 5°C within 4 more hours. A blast chiller is better.
• Official guidanceReheating: 74°C for 15 seconds.
• Official guidanceCold display and salad bars: under 3 hours. Very sensitive dishes such as tartare and cream cakes stay at 5 to 8°C. Throw the food away once it is over the limit or not served within 3 hours, and write down when it was put out.