Storing your meat

STORAGE OF YOUR MEAT

Your order may contain both chilled and frozen items.  

FROZEN ITEMS

Frozen items are marked with a ‘Best Before’ date of 365 days from the date of packing. Please ensure you put frozen items in your freezer immediately your package is delivered, and store them frozen until you are ready to cook them. Do not leave chilled items in the refrigerator until the last day of their shelf life, then decide to freeze them as they will have no shelf life left.  Once thawed or defrosted previously frozen items have a ‘Use By’ date of 12 hours and must be cooked within 12 hours. Do not leave previously frozen items in a refrigerator for several days after thawing – they will not be safe to eat and should be discarded. Previously frozen items can be cooked and then refrozen for example, frozen mince can be defrosted, cooked and then frozen as e.g. Shepherds’ Pie or Bolognese Sauce.

CHILLED ITEMS

Chilled items are marked with a ‘Use By’ date of several days (the length of which varies depending on the type of product – minced items with no preservative have a 2 day shelf life, fresh chicken has a 3 day shelf life, sausages or burgers containing preservatives have a 5 day shelf life in an unopened vacuum pack, beef steaks have a 14 day shelf life in an unopened vacuum pack, bacon has a 14 day shelf life in an unopened vacuum pack, but 4 days shelf life only once the pack is open.  Chilled meat and poultry should be stored in a refrigerator set to the lowest setting (2 degrees Centigrade) and should be cooked before the ‘Use By’ date on the pack. Once cooked chilled items can be frozen and stored in a freezer.  Chilled items can also be frozen in an uncooked state if they are put in your freezer immediately you receive them.