Refrigeration is important for maintaining a proper, unbroken cold chain. Using dairy as an example, after cows are milked, their milk is pasteurized and rapidly chilled. Once the milk has been chilled, it must be maintained at that low temperature from the farm to the grocery store, including during bottling and shipping. If the cold chain is broken, bacteria or fungus can grow, making the food unsafe for human consumption.
The United States Department of Agriculture requires that business-owned refrigeration systems have an internal temperature of 40°F or below for refrigerated food and 0° for frozen food1. Businesses operating refrigerators or freezers above these temperatures face fines and other penalties, so maintaining a reliable temperature is imperative. One of the most popular types of business-owned refrigeration systems is the cold room.