Leftover catering: how long it’s safe, and where it can go.
It’s 3pm, half a platter of sandwiches is on the kitchen bench, and someone asks in the team chat whether it’s still OK. Here is the rule NSW food businesses work to, what to do with what’s left, and how to order a little closer to what your team will actually eat.
The 2-hour/4-hour rule
Food that should be kept cold lets bacteria grow once it sits between 5°C and 60°C, a range that includes room temperature. The NSW Food Authority recognises this rule for food businesses, and it is a sensible guide for an office kitchen too.
Out for under 2 hours
Eat it, or cover it and put it back in the fridge for later.
Between 2 and 4 hours
It can still be eaten, but it can’t go back in the fridge.
Over 4 hours
Throw it out, however good it looks.
Time out of the fridge is cumulative: every time the food has been out counts, including before the meeting started. Two easy habits help. Put out half and keep half in the fridge until it’s needed, and stick a note on the platter with the time it came out.
Source: NSW Food Authority, managing potentially hazardous foods
Is it still OK?
Enter when the food first came out of the fridge. The timer shows where it stands now, and can print a label to stick on the platter.
How long has it been out?
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Three places leftovers can go
Back in the fridge
If it’s been out for under 2 hours, cover it and refrigerate it straight away, then eat it soon.
Home with the team
If it’s been out for under 2 hours, a stack of takeaway containers in the office kitchen turns it into tomorrow’s lunch for someone.
To a charity
Call the charity first to find out what it can accept. Untouched, sealed items are the easiest to give. NSW law limits the liability of people who donate food in good faith for a charitable purpose, provided it is safe when it leaves them and they pass on how to keep it safe.
Source for donating: NSW Food Authority, donating food to charities and not-for-profit organisations
Order closer to what gets eaten
The easiest leftovers to deal with are the ones you never ordered.
Standard serves are usually enough
Nine in ten of our morning tea assortment orders, and about four in five lunch platter orders, choose standard serves. Save generous for long days and hungry rooms.
How much food to orderCount the room, not the invite
Order for the people who will be in the room on the day, not everyone on the invite list, then allow a small buffer.
Individually packed items
Sandwiches, wraps and paninis packed one by one stay sealed until someone opens them, so if they’ve been kept in the fridge, what isn’t eaten is easy to send home or give away.
Single lunch itemsThree habits for the office kitchen
Make room first
Clear a shelf before the delivery arrives, so the food goes straight in rather than waiting on the bench.
Keep it covered
Put lids back on or cover platters before they go into the fridge.
Label the time
Write down when it first came out, or print a label with the timer above, so the next person doesn’t have to guess.
Leftover questions
Does the clock restart when food goes back in the fridge?
What if I don’t know how long it has been out?
Is the 2-hour/4-hour rule the law for offices?
How do I stop over-ordering next time?
Order for the people who’ll actually be there.
Choose standard or generous serves on our EASY platters, and add individually packed items where they make sense.
About the numbers. The shares of standard serves come from our orders placed between October 2025 and September 2026. Food safety guidance is summarised from the NSW Food Authority pages linked above; check them for the full detail.