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Close-up of the lower shelves of a chilled fridge
Cold chain all the way to the hand

Food safety
in vending

A fridge with nobody standing next to it has to look after itself; the rest is checking at every restock. For a health and safety adviser, a facilities manager or a care facility, that is the first question: how does food stay safe in a place without staff? Below you follow the chain from kitchen to hand, with what can go wrong along the way and who checks what.

Closed cold chain Dates checked Sealed packs
Check your site Fresh meals
The chain

From kitchen
to hand

01

Preparation

Freshly prepared and packed by the producer, with date, nutritional values and allergens on the box.

02

Transport

Chilled from the kitchen to your site, with no break in the chain.

03

The fridge

Holds its own temperature, day and night, without anyone watching it.

04

The restock

At every restock, temperature and dates are checked; what is nearing its date comes out.

What can go wrong

The weak spots
without a fridge

The classic risks at work usually arise on site rather than in a supplier’s kitchen: a shared fridge nobody looks after, a door left open, a product that has been in the break room since last week. On sites that run day and night, this matters most; see 24/7 food at work.

A closed fridge removes part of that: the door closes by itself, products are individually packed and stay sealed until someone opens them. What remains is someone who checks temperature and dates. With fresh food, that weighs heaviest; see fresh meals at work.

Temperature Dates Packaging
Risks on site
  • A shared fridge nobody looks after
  • Products without a date or label
  • A door left open
  • A power cut nobody notices
  • Food left out of the cold
  • A buffet left standing for hours
Meals in a transport crate
Responsibilities

Who checks
what

  Who How
Transport to the fridge Your supplier or caterer Chilled, without breaking the chain
Fridge temperature You or your team, or under a service contract Checked at every restock
Dates and removal Whoever restocks Products nearing their date come out
In case of an outage Agreed in advance Who notices, who is called, what happens to the contents

If you buy or rent the unit, temperature and dates are part of your maintenance; see maintenance and service.

Stocked shelves behind an open door
Agreed in advance

Arrangements before
the fridge arrives

Food safety in an unstaffed spot is arranged in advance, because if something goes wrong, nobody is there to improvise. Before it goes into service, agree who notices an outage, who it is reported to, what happens to the contents and who the contact person on site is.

The location counts too: out of direct sunlight, not next to a heat source, with room to open the door, and a socket that does not get switched off by accident when someone turns off the lights in the evening.

Special environments

Care and
manufacturing

In a care facility or a manufacturing site with hygiene rules, the fridge stands outside the care or production zone. The exact spot is set by your own hygiene or infection prevention team; their framework applies. The fridge is not meant for patient nutrition; see smart fridge for a care facility.

What the fridge costs depends on your people, hours and the route you choose; see what a smart fridge costs.

Sound familiar?

Questions your health
and safety adviser will ask

Each of these questions should have an answer in the arrangements made before the fridge goes into service. Food hygiene rules differ by country; check them with your adviser. We do not give nutrition or health advice. Nutritional values and allergens are on every pack; for individual questions, a dietitian or your occupational health doctor is the right person to ask.

How to set it up
01
Buy
The unit is yours, with the range and prices you set.
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02
Rent or lease
No purchase price up front, with a fee or instalments.
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03
Organising restocking
Your own team, your caterer or a local supplier, guided by sales per product.
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Read on
01
Allergens in vending
Information on the pack, not a guarantee.
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02
Chilled vending machine
Lockers, spirals or a fridge you open.
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03
Manufacturing site
Outside the production zone, for every shift.
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What goes inside
Healthy food at work High-protein meals Fresh meals Hot meals Salads and bowls Vegetarian meals Healthy snacks Healthy drinks Halal vending Ramadan at work Smart fridge for your business
Approach, delivery and safety
Meal prep for businesses Meal delivery at work Healthy vending Healthy vending policy Allergens Food waste
Frequently asked questions

About food
safety

What happens to the contents in a power cut?

Agree in advance who notices an outage, who it is reported to and what happens to the products. Products that are no longer safe come out.

Who checks the temperature if we buy the fridge?

You do, or you take out maintenance as a separate contract. Checking temperature at every restock is the simplest routine.

Are the products individually packed?

Yes. Every product has its own pack, stays sealed until someone opens it and carries the date, nutritional values and allergens.

Can employees put their own food in the fridge?

We advise against it. The fridge is a point of sale with a controlled chain; personal food belongs in a separate fridge in the break room. That way it stays clear to everyone what is in the fridge.

How long can fresh products stay in the fridge?

Until before the date on the pack. It is better to take them out earlier, so nobody finds a product right at the limit.

Who keeps an eye on the temperature at your site?

Eight short questions about your site. In the conversation we look at who checks what, also outside office hours.

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