Storage And Handling of Wholesale Meat

At HP Westwood, we have frequently sung the praises of maintaining communal and recognised standards in the meat wholesale standards. Any wholesale butchers knows that to proudly sport the label, their wholesale meat should be a to reputable and recognised quality. 

Potentially one of the most important aspects of meat wholesale is the storage and handling of the meat. Many abattoirs in the UK are rigorously audited to ensure that the storage and handling of meat products are to exceptional standards. While exact handling and storage procedures might differ slightly depending on the meat and business, there are a few things you can expect from most, if not all, wholesale butchers. So, let’s go through some of the potential procedures for storage and handling of wholesale meat. 

Storage Procedure 

While meat is in transit, the risk of bacteria growth or subsequently the meat becoming flawed increases. As such, you should do everything you can to get the meat from it’s method of transportation, whether that be a car or van, into a refrigerator. Rapid bacteria growth starts at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degree Celsius. This means, you will want to try and store the meat in the coolest part of the fridge if possible. Your fridge should be set to between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius. 

If you are storing your wholesale meat in a fridge, you should put it in a see-through plastic bag so the meat can be more closely monitored. If you are opting to store your meat wholesale in a freezer, there are a few methods you need to follow. Meat is stored in a freezer correctly, the meat can last for years. 

One of which is ensuring you do not allow the meat to get up to room temperature. This means significantly less time out of the freezer. Another will be ensuring you freeze the meat before it’s best before date and when the meat is still in good eatable condition. 

Handling Procedure

The correct handling of wholesale meat is of paramount importance to wholesale butchers. This is why, before handling the meat we ensure thorough and all encompassing hand washing techniques have been enacted. This means you should wash your hands in warm soapy water. Paying particular attention to get potential germs from between your fingers.

Having clean and dry hands ensures harmful bacteria is not transferred onto the meat. Additionally, you will want to ensure that there is no cross contamination between different meats and different substances. 

We Practise Expert Storage and Handling Procedures

As you might have guessed, at HP Westwood, we practise expert storage and handling procedures. We want you to feel confident in your meat wholesale purchases. So, if you require wholesale meat in Staffordshire, please contact us.