To transport frozen products, you keep them in a refrigerated vehicle, within the maximum temperature set for each product: −18 °C or lower for quick-frozen foods, frozen fishery products and frozen minced meat, and −12 °C for most other frozen foods, both internationally and in France. During transport, a quick-frozen food may have brief upward fluctuations of no more than 3 °C. The vehicle normally holds a certificate suited to these temperatures, and anyone transporting quick-frozen food records the air temperature, except in local distribution, where one visible thermometer is enough.
What temperature does each product need?
For frozen goods, the temperature depends on the product and the journey. The ATP, the UN agreement on the international carriage of perishable foodstuffs, sets the maximum temperatures for international transport, when loading and unloading take place in two different States. European law sets those for quick-frozen foods, fishery products and minced meat. A quick-frozen (or deep-frozen) food is not quite the same as a frozen one: it has undergone quick-freezing and is then kept without interruption at −18 °C or lower, at all points, after thermal stabilisation.
| Product | Maximum temperature during transport | Legislation |
|---|---|---|
| Ice cream and edible ices | −20 °C internationally; −18 °C in France | ATP (French text), Annex 2; French order (arrêté) of 21 December 2009, Annex I |
| Quick-frozen foods | −18 °C at all points, with brief upward fluctuations of no more than 3 °C | Directive 89/108/EEC, Article 5; ATP, Annex 2 |
| Frozen or quick-frozen fish, molluscs and crustaceans | −18 °C at all points, with brief upward fluctuations of no more than 3 °C | Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, Annex III; ATP, Annex 2 |
| Frozen minced meat and meat preparations | −18 °C internal temperature | Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, Annex III |
| Butter | −10 °C internationally | ATP, Annex 2 |
| Other frozen foods | −12 °C internationally and in France | ATP, Annex 2; French order of 21 December 2009, Annex I |
We link to the French text of the ATP because its English edition misprints the −18 °C line as −8 °C.
Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 allows one exception: whole fish initially frozen in brine and intended for canning may stay at −9 °C at most.
The tolerance on quick-frozen food is written differently from country to country:
- In Belgium, the royal decree of 5 December 1990 (in French) repeats −18 °C and brief upward fluctuations of no more than 3 °C, during transport and local distribution and in display cabinets. In retail businesses, supermarket distribution centres and wholesalers, the royal decree of 13 July 2014 (in French) sets a maximum of −18 °C for any food kept frozen, with a brief rise of no more than 3 °C for handling, provided it does not result in a risk to health.
- In France, decree (décret) No 64-949 of 9 September 1964, cited in instruction DGAL/SDSSA/2024-698 (in French) from the food directorate (DGAL) of the agriculture ministry, allows brief rises of no more than 3 °C during transport and in display cabinets. For frozen foods and ice cream, the 2009 order also allows, where necessary, a rise of no more than 3 °C at the surface, during brief periods of loading and unloading, except for foods whose temperature is set by Regulation (EC) No 853/2004.
- In England, the Quick-frozen Foodstuffs (England) Regulations 2007 set an absolute limit: not warmer than −15 °C within brief periods during transport and not warmer than −12 °C in a retail display cabinet. They do not cover ice cream or any other edible ice.
Rules checked in November 2026.
Which vehicle should you use for frozen products?
You use a refrigerated vehicle whose certificate matches the temperature of the product. In the ATP, class C covers an inside temperature chosen between +12 °C and −20 °C, and class F keeps a fixed inside temperature of −20 °C or lower. In France, the 2024 instruction (in French) specifies that class B or C equipment carrying frozen foods must have reinforced insulation (R), and that normally insulated equipment, marked IN or FNA, cannot carry frozen or quick-frozen products.
The ATP requires a check at least once every 6 years. The rest depends on the country:
| Country | Basic rule | Certificate and checks |
|---|---|---|
| France | For national transport, an ATP certificate or a national certificate (in French), except for a journey of under 80 km without breaking bulk, that is, without opening the doors | Cemafroid issues the certificates, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture. Tests at 6 and 9 years, renewal beyond 12 years, then every 6 years |
| Belgium | Registration with the Belgian food safety agency (AFSCA/FAVV) for temperature-controlled transport (activity ACT 353) | The FPS Mobility and Transport (in French) issues the ATP certificate, and VIAS draws up the inspection reports |
| United Kingdom | The ATP covers journeys to or from other countries; different rules apply if you are only transporting perishable food within the UK | In Great Britain, the initial certificate lasts for 6 years, and the vehicle is then retested every 3 years |
In Belgium, a subcontractor must also register with AFSCA when the contract gives it responsibility for the product, for example in refrigerated transport.
For maintenance, read our article on checking your refrigerated vehicle.
Rules checked in November 2026.
Which temperature records do you need to keep?
Regulation (EC) No 37/2005 requires the means of transport of quick-frozen foodstuffs to be fitted with instruments that record the air temperature at frequent and regular intervals. These instruments comply with the EN 12830, EN 13485 and EN 13486 standards. The food operator dates the records and stores them for at least 1 year, or longer depending on the nature and shelf life of the product.
During local distribution and in retail display cabinets, one easily visible thermometer is enough.
Rules checked in November 2026.
When is the cold chain broken?
For a quick-frozen food, it is broken when the product goes above −18 °C beyond the brief rises that the rule allows. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 sets the general principle: the cold chain is not to be interrupted, except for limited periods of handling, provided that it does not result in a risk to health. So you check the temperature on receipt.
After thawing, the rule depends on the product and the country:
- A quick-frozen food supplied without further processing to the final consumer, or to restaurants, hospitals, canteens and similar mass caterers, carries the message ‘do not refreeze after defrosting’, required by Directive 89/108/EEC.
- In France, a food business does not refreeze a thawed product of animal origin, other than a quick-frozen one, unless its validated hazard analysis shows the same level of safety. It thaws in a refrigerated enclosure, at between 0 °C and +4 °C when no temperature is set for the product, or directly by cooking or reheating.
- For private individuals only, AFSCA (in French) and the Food Standards Agency say that food can be frozen again once cooked. This advice does not replace your hazard analysis.
Rules checked in November 2026.
Who can transport your frozen products?
You can hand these journeys to a carrier equipped with refrigerated vehicles. Shippr’s refrigerated transport runs in a refrigerated vehicle reserved for your goods and set to their temperature range, −20 °C for frozen products. We bring the vehicle to temperature before loading. On your regular multi-drop rounds, a logger records the temperature continuously and we alert you to any deviation.
