Record GL-06
Industry guidelines set food exposure limits measured in minutes
| Date of record | World Food Safety Guidelines for Airline Catering |
|---|---|
| Location | International |
| Type | Industry standard provision |
| Source tier | Tier 1 — published industry guidelines |
What the record shows
Published airline catering guidelines set food exposure limits by ambient temperature band. Where ambient temperature is above 15°C but no more than 21°C, food surface temperature must not exceed 15°C, or food exposure time must not exceed 45 minutes. At lower ambient temperatures the permitted exposure extends to 90 minutes.
The guidelines direct that food exposure time is checked and recorded, and that where the critical limit is exceeded, the food is discarded.
Evidence gap
The standard is expressed in minutes and requires exposure time to be recorded. Meeting it therefore depends on knowing precisely when exposure began and ended for a specific batch. Where that is estimated rather than measured, compliance is asserted rather than demonstrated.
These figures are drawn from published industry guidelines. Operators should verify against the current version applicable to them.