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from blood.

Meats and offal should not be allowed to sit on trays, in pools of blood, as this decreases shelf life
and contributes to deterioration of food quality and to discolouration of product.

Trays should, therefore, be changed and cleaned as required.
Cooked meats should be refrigerated as rapidly as possible after cooking. Most cooked meats can be
kept for two to three days after cooking provided they are rapidly cooled and properly stored in
sealed, clean containers or trays in the cold room.
Raw and cooked meats must not come into contact with each other at any stage.
Raw meats should be kept on the lower shelves of the cold room to prevent juices from dripping into
and contaminating other foods. Cooked meats should be stored above raw meats.
All meat should be placed in clean containers or on clean trays. Different types of meat must be
separated. They should be covered, with impermeable or airtight, non-toxic sealing materials -
clingwrap, foil or plastic lids (not tea towels or cloths) and should not be allowed to contact other
meats or foods.
To prevent blood discolouration of large meat cuts (roasts, whole sirloin etc.) they should be stored
fat side up.
Vacuum packed (cryovac) meat has, after removal from the bag, less shelf life than other fresh
meats. The process, however, of trimming, portioning and traying meat for storage is the same
whether cryovaced or not. If you purchase packaged or boxed meats, the box will have a packaging
label on it. The vacuum bags themselves are not labelled or dated.

Information on the box or carton label will include t he packaging date and from this you can
determine the number of weeks of shelf life left for the product; that is, if the lamb, beef or veal was
packaged three weeks before you purchased it then it has another nine weeks of shelf life if
unopened and correctly stored. Pork, however, would need to be used immediately. After the
maximum storage time the flavour of vacuum packed meat will alter and the meat quality will
deteriorate.
Check all vacuum packed meat to ensure that the seals on the packaging are intact. If they are not,
then the meat should be returned to the supplier.
Processed meats-hams, salami and other smallgoods must also be kept in cold storage.

Products should be individually wrapped, labelled and placed on shelving above raw meats.
Although procedures such as smoking, pickling, salting, corning etc., are intended to preserve meats
and extend shelf life, these products still require cold storage.

Stock rotation (first in/first out) should be strictly maintained for all meat products.
Physical handling of meat products should be minimal, as excessive handling will increase the risk of
contamination and cause added blood drip.
Optimum storage is reliant on maximum cool airflow around meats and on keeping temperatures
regulated and consistent. For these reasons cold room and freezer seals must be in good condition,
fans must be clean and in good working order and opening and closing of doors must be kept to a
minimum. High handling and hygiene standards must be applied at all times.

Freezing
Wholesome food that is frozen is safe while frozen. Quality will, however, suffer with lengthy freezer
storage. Freezing preserves food for extended periods, because it prevents the growth of
microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and food-borne illness. Once thawed, however, these