How to Keep Food Cold Off-Grid: Mobile Catering Fridges & Freezers (2026)

Last updated: August 2026

In 30 seconds:

• Chilled food must sit at 8°C or below. That is the number an environmental health officer checks, and nothing else about your fridge matters if you miss it.
• The realistic off-grid answer in the UK is a commercial under-counter fridge running off an LPG generator, not a leisure fridge.
• A 150-litre commercial under-counter fridge uses about 1.2 kWh in 24 hours. That is roughly 50 watts on average, but the compressor pulls far more for a second or two each time it kicks in.
• Three-way absorption fridges (230V, 12V or LPG) exist and we do list one. They are built for touring, not for a food business in a hot trailer.
• Budget from £449 for a commercial under-counter fridge and size the generator around the fridge plus everything else on the van.

Not sure what generator you need? Work it out first with our LPG generator sizing calculator, then come back and pick the fridge.

Why the generator is the real decision. People shop for the fridge and worry about power later. That is backwards. A fridge is a small, steady load with sharp spikes. Once you know what your whole van draws, the fridge choice takes about five minutes.

Why not just run an LPG fridge? An absorption fridge has no compressor. It is silent and it will run on propane, which sounds ideal off-grid. The catch is that absorption cooling gets weak as the air around it gets warm, and a trading trailer in July is warm. They also chill slowly, so they punish you every time the door opens.

What the officer actually looks at. A probe thermometer in the food, and your temperature records. Not the badge on the fridge. A cheap fridge that holds 4°C all day passes. An expensive one that drifts to 11°C by mid-afternoon does not.

The honest summary: the biggest mistake we see is buying a caravan or camping fridge for a food business because it runs on propane. It is the wrong tool. It is not built to recover after a busy hour of door-opening. If your records show 10°C you have a problem that no receipt will fix. Put the money into a commercial fridge and a generator with headroom.

The three ways to keep food cold off-grid

Most traders end up with the first and the third. The generator runs the fridge, and cool boxes carry stock from the cash and carry to the van.

What a commercial fridge actually costs you in power

Fridge listings quote energy two different ways, and mixing them up is how people undersize a generator.

• kWh per 24 hours is the total energy over a full day. A 150-litre under-counter fridge is around 1.2 kWh/24hr. Averaged out that is about 50 watts.
• Running watts is what the compressor draws while it is actually running. It is higher than the average, because the compressor is off much of the time.
• Start-up surge is the brief spike when the compressor kicks in. It is several times the running figure and it lasts a second or two.

That surge is the bit that trips people up. A generator sized with no margin will cope all morning, then stall the moment the fridge restarts while the fryer is also drawing. We do not publish a surge multiplier for these models, because the manufacturers do not give one. So the safe approach is headroom. Size the generator for everything on the van at once, then add spare capacity on top.

The sizing calculator linked at the top of this guide walks through that sum with real appliance loads.

Hallco 150L Under-Counter Fridge (HR200SN)

Quick specs

• 150 litre capacity
• 0 to 8°C temperature range
• 1.2 kWh per 24 hours
• 600mm wide x 595mm deep x 850mm high
• R600a refrigerant, fan-assisted cooling, auto defrost
• Dixell digital controller, lock, reversible door
• Rated to 30°C ambient
• Stainless exterior, 1 year warranty
• From £589

Best for a van or trailer that trades full days and needs chilled stock to survive a busy lunch rush. The fan-assisted cooling is the part that matters off-grid, because it pulls the temperature back down quickly after the door has been open.

What it does well

• Holds a proper commercial 0 to 8°C band
• Recovers fast after repeated door openings
• Digital controller means you can read the temperature without guessing
• Locks, which matters if the van is left on a pitch overnight

Don’t use it for

• Running with no generator or mains hook-up. It is a 230V compressor fridge.
• Sitting in direct sun against a hot trailer wall. It is rated to 30°C ambient, and the inside of a closed trailer beats that easily.
• Frozen stock. That is the freezer’s job.

Trade-off: at 850mm high and 600mm deep it eats a full under-counter bay. Measure before you buy, because in a small trailer that bay is worth a lot.

See the Hallco 150L under-counter fridge for current stock.

Hallco 130L Under-Counter Freezer (HF200SN)

Quick specs

• 130 litre capacity
• -10 to -22°C temperature range
• Around 1.4 kWh per 24 hours
• Same under-counter footprint as the fridge
• Stainless exterior, moulded interior, auto defrost
• 1 year warranty
• From £549

Best for traders holding frozen chips, burgers or ice cream stock across a multi-day event.

What it does well

• Reaches a genuine commercial freezing band, not a domestic ice-box temperature
• Keeps frozen stock solid through a warm day if the door discipline is good
• Stacks logically alongside the matching fridge for a two-bay layout

Don’t use it for

• Freezing warm stock down from scratch during service. Load it already frozen.
• Short single-session trades where a cool box would do the job for nothing.

Trade-off: it draws slightly more than the fridge and it works harder in heat, so if you are only running one cold unit off a small generator, make it the fridge.

See the Hallco 130L under-counter freezer for current stock.

Where three-way absorption fridges fit

A three-way fridge runs on 230V mains, 12V DC, or propane. No compressor, no noise, no surge. For a motorhome that is a lovely thing.

For a food business, be realistic about what you are getting:

• They are usually 40 to 60 litres, so they hold drinks and a little prep, not a day’s stock.
• Cooling performance falls away as the surrounding air warms up, which is exactly what happens inside a trailer in summer.
• They pull temperature down slowly, so a busy hour of door-opening leaves you chasing 8°C.
• On 12V they will flatten a leisure battery fast, so in practice you are running them on propane or on mains.

They earn their place as a drinks fridge, an overflow unit, or back-up cold storage when the generator is off overnight. They do not replace a commercial fridge as your main chilled storage. We list a 60-litre three-way unit and a 40-litre three-way cool box. Stock on both moves, so check availability with us before planning a whole setup around one.

If you are still mapping out the whole rig, our off-grid mobile catering setup guide covers power, water and propane together.

Cold weather is not a free pass

Winter trading feels like it should make refrigeration easy. It does the opposite in one specific way. A fridge in a cold trailer barely cycles, so the compressor sits idle. The cabinet can then drift colder than you want, freezing salad and dairy at the back. Check the shelf nearest the cooling plate.

The bigger winter problem is the power source, not the fridge. Cold starts, thicker oil and propane behaving differently at low temperature all hit the generator first. Our guide on running a Greengear LPG generator through a UK winter covers what actually changes.

How to set up a fridge for a day’s off-grid trading

1. Pre-chill the night before. Run the fridge on mains at home or at the yard until it is stable at 4°C. Never start the day cooling an empty warm cabinet.
2. Load it cold. Move stock across in cool boxes with ice packs. Warm stock going into a cold fridge costs you an hour of recovery.
3. Start the generator before you need the fridge. Let it settle under light load, then bring the fridge on, then the heavy kit. Do not start everything at once.
4. Site the fridge out of the sun. Shade side of the trailer, away from the fryer and griddle, with clear air at the back and sides for the condenser.
5. Probe and record at least twice. Once when you open, once mid-service. Write it down. The record is as much a part of compliance as the temperature itself.
6. Set a door rule. Decide what comes out at each service and take it in one trip. Most temperature failures are door discipline, not equipment.

Five mistakes that cost people money

• Buying a leisure fridge for a food business. It runs on propane, which feels like the answer, and then it cannot hold 8°C on a hot pitch.
• Sizing the generator for running watts only. The compressor surge is what stalls it, usually at the worst moment.
• Blocking the vents. Boxes stacked against the back of the fridge stop the condenser rejecting heat, and the unit runs constantly.
• No thermometer. A fridge dial is a setting, not a measurement. Keep a probe and a fridge thermometer.
• Ignoring ambient rating. A unit rated to 30°C ambient in a sealed trailer at 35°C is being asked to do something it was never built for.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature must chilled food be kept at in the UK?

8°C or below. Most traders aim for 3 to 5°C so there is margin when the door is opened during service. Frozen stock should be held at -18°C or colder.

Can I run a commercial fridge off an LPG generator?

Yes, and it is the usual setup for UK mobile catering. The fridge itself is a modest load. The thing to plan for is the compressor’s brief start-up surge on top of everything else running. Size the generator with spare capacity, not to the exact total.

Do I need a freezer as well as a fridge?

Only if you hold frozen stock across days. A single trader doing one market a week is usually better off buying frozen on the morning and carrying it in a cool box. Multi-day events and anyone selling chips or ice cream will want a freezer.

Are three-way LPG fridges any good for food vans?

They work, but they are designed for touring rather than trading. They are small, they cool slowly, and their performance drops as the air around them warms up. Use one as a drinks fridge or overnight back-up, not as your main chilled storage.

How much power does a catering fridge use?

A 150-litre commercial under-counter fridge uses roughly 1.2 kWh over 24 hours, which averages out at about 50 watts. The compressor draws considerably more while it is actually running, and more again for a second or two at start-up.

Can I run a fridge off a leisure battery instead of a generator?

A compressor fridge will flatten a single leisure battery well inside a trading day. Battery-only cold storage needs a properly designed system with enough capacity and a way to recharge it, which usually means a generator anyway. For most traders the generator is the simpler answer.

Where should the fridge go in a food trailer?

On the shaded side, away from the fryer and griddle, with clearance behind and beside it so the condenser can shed heat. Under a counter is fine as long as air can move. Boxed into a sealed cupboard is not.

What size fridge do I need for a food van?

Work back from a day’s stock rather than from litres. A single-menu burger or coffee van typically manages on one 150-litre under-counter unit. Add a second unit or a freezer once you are holding stock overnight or running more than one menu.

Which one should you buy?

If you trade full days and need one cold unit, take the 150-litre under-counter fridge. Put the rest of the budget into a generator with headroom. Add the matching freezer only when you start holding frozen stock across events. Keep a cool box for the run from the cash and carry, and keep a probe thermometer in your apron.

Still choosing between counter-top and under-counter formats? We compare the smaller units in our guides to counter fridge top units and countertop display fridges.

Not sure what will run off the generator you already own? Send us the list of what is on the van and we will tell you straight whether it will cope.