Cold storage is the controlled low-temperature holding of perishable or temperature-sensitive product between processing and dispatch, encompassing both frozen and chilled regimes depending on the product category.
In trade practice
For quick-frozen fruit and vegetables, cold storage must maintain product at the temperature required by the applicable EU quick-frozen foods legislation. Honey, dried fruit and oils may be held under cool ambient conditions rather than active refrigeration, but buyers still audit for humidity control and pest management. Suppliers are expected to provide temperature logs, calibration records and stock-rotation evidence during buyer audits or third-party certification inspections. Inadequate turnover discipline leading to aged stock is a common finding in cold-storage audits.
In a specification
A purchase specification or warehouse approval document states the required storage temperature regime, permitted deviation, logging frequency and minimum stock-rotation standard for each product category held.