SCHEDULE 4TEMPERATURE CONTROL REQUIREMENTS
Upward variation of the 8°C temperature by manufacturers etc.
4.
(1)
In any proceedings for an offence consisting of a contravention of sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 2, it will be a defence for the accused to prove that—
(a)
a food business responsible for manufacturing, preparing or processing the food, including, where relevant, the accused, has recommended that it is kept—
(i)
at or below a specified temperature between 8°C and ambient temperatures, and
(ii)
for a period not exceeding a specified shelf life;
(b)
that recommendation has, unless the accused is that food business, been communicated to the accused either by means of a label on the packaging of the food or by means of some other appropriate form of written instruction;
(c)
the food was not kept by the accused at a temperature above the specified temperature; and
(d)
at the time of the commission of the alleged offence, the specified shelf life had not been exceeded.
(2)
A food business responsible for manufacturing, preparing or processing food must not recommend that any food is kept—
(a)
at or below a specified temperature between 8°C and ambient temperatures; and
(b)
for a period not exceeding a specified shelf life,
unless that recommendation is supported by a well-founded scientific assessment of the safety of the food at the specified temperature.