freezer hit 62°F at work
Hi, I’m using a throwaway because I don’t want this connected to my workplace or anyone involved.
I work in Illinois, and I had something happen that I’m trying to understand from a food safety standpoint.
Yesterday, one of our freezers randomly malfunctioned and the temperature rose up to around 62°F for a period of time. It eventually started cooling back down into the 30s, but by that point a large amount of frozen product inside had already fully thawed.
This included items like frozen sandwiches and small frozen pizzas. When I checked them, they were completely thawed out. soft, watery, and no longer frozen at all.
I notified a coworker and asked if I should damage the products out, but I was told we needed manager approval. Later, the store manager said not to discard anything yet and that she would evaluate it the next day.
The next day, I came in and the same products were still in the freezer. I asked about it again because the items had clearly thawed the day before, but I was told that since they were frozen again by the time management checked, they decided not to damage them out.
I’m confused because my understanding is that if frozen food fully thaws and spends time above safe refrigeration temperature, it may not be safe to sell again even if it gets refrozen. I thought there were food safety guidelines about bacteria growth in the “danger zone” (above ~40°F), especially for ready-to-eat or partially cooked frozen foods.
I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble or call out a specific person. I’m just genuinely trying to understand what the correct food safety procedure is in a situation like this, because I don’t want unsafe product being sold, but I also don’t want to overstep my role.
So my question is: in situations like this, is it normal/allowed to refreeze and keep the product if it re-solidifies, or should it still be discarded once it fully thaws and reaches those temperatures?