Products, Life Expectancy and Definitions

Any cut with a bone E.g. T Bone, Lamb Loin Chops; we recommend storage in a reliable fridge operating between with consistent operating temperature of 0 to 4oC for no more than 5 days. The reason for this is that when bone is cut it releases bone dust / enzymes and comes into contact with bacteria, which start the breaking down process and are very temperature sensitive.

Chicken, Veal, Pork are also volatile meats with shorter shelf lives, so we recommend 3 to 4 days stored in a consistent temperature of 0 – 4oC and then freeze for longer. The same is recommended for Diced and Minced meats due to the extra handling involved in processing. Beef and Lamb products will generally have an extra one or two day’s life due to being less volatile.

Non-boned meats E.g. Rump, Porterhouse and Scotch we recommend up to two weeks possibly more depending on the pre - ageing of the product. If the primal cuts are portioned it will reduce the life due to the portioning process. Time can also be reduced by the amount of ageing given to the product prior to being portioned or sent to the customer.

These are recommendations made with past experience and knowledge gained in this profession, also with experience in dealing with different customers with varying types and conditions of equipment which in the end affect the shelf life and condition of the products.

Overall it is the customer’s responsibility from point of delivery to use of the product, to make sure the product was received in a usable condition and within the receivable temperature range, to being stored correctly under HACCP and QA guidelines and to maintain rotation of products with a visual check for signs of change in condition of products.

Definitions:

Vac Packing :- Removal of all air from the packet with an air tight seal.

Gas Flushing – Removal of all air and inserting a neutral inert gas, leaves appearance of air in packet. Good for sliced meats, sausages ect. ( This does not squash the meats together )

Tray Wrapping :- Placing on a tray and over wrapping with a cling film, pulled tight and heat sealed. ( Used for supermarkets, schnitzels & sausages ) 

Thermo Forming : -   Plastic-sheet forming in which the sheet is clamped to a stationary frame, then heated and drawn down into a mold by vacuum. Product is placed in the mould and an upper layer is vacumed and heat sealed - air tight.
 

PRODUCT PACKING GUIDELINES

*DICED MEATS, STRIPS & MINCES  AVAILABLE IN 2 & 5 KG VACUM PACKS.

*SLICED MEATS ALL "ONLY"  IN 1 KG  - GAS FLUSHED PACKETS.

*ALL SMALLGOODS ARE SOLD ONLY IN THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTUER'S PACKAGING AND CAN NOT BE BROKEN DOWN TO SMALLER SIZES.

*ALL SCHNITZELS CRUMBED AND MEAT ONLY ARE IN EITHER TRAYS OF 10 FOR THE CRUMBED PRODUCT OR VACUM PACKS OF 10 FOR THE MEAT ONLY PRODUCT.

*PORTION STEAKS ARE IN INCREMENTS OF 50 gm ( eg. 100, 150, 200 gm ) AND IN VACUM PACKS OF 5 OR 10.

These standards are in the interest of food safety and providing a consistent quality product to our customers.