{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/food-hygiene-regulations-northern-ireland-2006/schedule-4/paragraph-7",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/food-hygiene-regulations-northern-ireland-2006/schedule-4/paragraph-7.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/2006/3",
  "legislation_title": "The Food Hygiene Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/food-hygiene-regulations-northern-ireland-2006",
  "path": "schedule/4/paragraph/7",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "7",
  "heading": "Hot holding defences",
  "text": "In any proceedings for an offence consisting of a contravention of paragraph 6, it shall be a defence for the accused to prove that—\n(a) a well-founded scientific assessment of the safety of the food at temperatures below 63°C has concluded that there is no risk to health if, after cooking or re-heating, the food is held for service or on display for sale—\n(i) at a holding temperature which is below 63°C, and\n(ii) for a period not exceeding any period of time specified in that scientific assessment; and\n(b) at the time of the commission of the alleged offence, the food was held in a manner which was justified in the light of that scientific assessment.\n(2) In any proceedings for an offence consisting of a contravention of paragraph 6, it shall be a defence for the accused to prove that the food—\n(a) had been kept for service or on display for sale for a period of less than two hours; and\n(b) had not previously been kept for service or on display for sale by that person.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Sch. 4 para. 7 in operation at 11.1.2006, see reg. 1"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2006/3/schedule/4/paragraph/7",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T01:48:58.067267+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}