Temperature and moisture heterogeneity, with non-uniform airflow in cold room was observed in several studies. This heterogeneity can lead to deterioration of food quality and safety. Heat and mass transfer in cold room is a complex phenomenon because of the presence of the product (airflow obstacle, heat of respiration.) and the coupling between heat transfer and airflow. Temperature measurements were carried out in a ventilated cold room filled with four apple pallets. The front pallets were submitted to higher air temperatures compared to the rear ones, leading to heterogeneity in product cooling rate and product temperature. Numerical (CFD) and simplified modelling approaches were developed to describe the evolution and distribution of air and product temperature in the cold room. Good agreement between the numerical and experimental results was found for both transient phase (product cooling) and stationary phase in terms of temperature.