Material temperature exposure timer apparatus and method

A temperature monitoring system and method for continuously monitoring the temperature of a material and providing a cumulative total time that the material has spent at a temperature above a predetermined temperature threshold over a given period of time or over the shelf life of the material. The apparatus 10 includes a temperature probe which provides an output to a temperature switch. The temperature switch provides an output therefrom to a cascaded counter array. An oscillator also provides an output to the counter array. The counter array maintains a cumulative count (i.e., cumulative time value) that the material has spent above a predetermined maximum temperature threshold. A battery powers the components of the apparatus and a display allows the user to display the cumulative time that the material has spent above the predetermined temperature threshold.