A Guide to Meat Storage

Whether you run a restaurant, grocery store, or butcher shop, you'll need cold storage for your bulk raw meat. Improper refrigeration and freezing could cause microorganisms to grow on the food and spoil it prematurely or cross-contaminate other food. Protect your products and keep your customers healthy by following these meat storage safety tips. How to Properly Store Meat 1. Handle the Meat With Care If you're preparing meat for cold storage in your commercial kitchen, it's vital to ensure your space is clean and ready to accommodate raw beef, chicken, pork, and seafood. These products can contain E. coli, Salmonella, and other harmful bacteria that can contaminate anything they touch. An excellent food safety tip for commercial businesses is to work with raw meat in a designated area or surface. When possible, handle the items away from utensils, countertops, and cutting boards used for vegetables, fruits, and other foods to prevent cross-contamination. When you're done working with meat, wash the area, containers, and utensils with commercial-grade soap and hot water to kill the bacteria. 2. Wrap It Correctly cold storage You could unintentionally cross-contaminate your kitchen or food by improperly wrapping meat and putting it in a refrigerator or frozen food storage. For instance, pork wrapped in torn cellophane is not safely covered and the juices could easily leak onto a shelf or container with other items. Instead, ensure all meats are tightly covered in cling wrap or tightly sealed containers. No juices should seep from the plastic or bin. This practice will prevent cross-contamination and control oxygen and humidity levels around the meat, which keeps some pathogens at bay. 3. Store It at the Appropriate Temperature The best temperature range for storing fresh meat is 28 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The cold temperature helps keep bacteria and pathogens from multiplying and rendering the food inedible. When temperatures approach 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the risk of bacteria growth increases. When frozen, beef can last for 12 months, while tightly wrapped pork and seafood can last for six months in the freezer.

The craft beer industry is full of independent brewers developing their own unique flavors and blends. To achieve these precise results, brewers must control every element of the environment the beer and its ingredients are exposed to throughout the process. Temperature is a major concern for many, so cold storage can often be a major benefit to small breweries. Here are some ways this additional refrigerated space can help throughout the brewing and distribution process. 3 Ways Cold Storage Can Help Your Craft Beer Operations 1. Brewing Certain types of beer, like lagers, need to be brewed in cold temperatures. The cold allows lager yeast to ferment with less concentration, leading to a light, smooth taste. Other styles of beer also use cold storage after fermentation to maintain a hoppy flavor or develop balanced tasting notes. 2. Maintaining Freshness cold storage Once brewed, beer can easily become skunked, or lose its taste and freshness, if it is exposed to light. This happens when a chemical compound in the hops reacts with light molecules, and it can happen in as little as 30 seconds if beer is kept in clear glass. It takes longer in beer stored in dark glass. Cold storage keeps beer in a dark location with a consistent temperature to maintain optimal taste. Refrigeration can also limit the risk of bacterial contamination during transit and storage. 3. Keeping Up With Inventory Many craft brewers have small locations, and brewing equipment takes up significant room. Utilizing off-site cold storage can help brewers store their inventory, so they have the capacity to keep up with customer demand during busy seasons and special events, without the need for complicated construction projects or cramped on-site storage.

As a business owner or manager of a facility working with perishable items like food or medicine, it’s important that you understand the capabilities and qualities that mark an effective cold storage facility. Outsourcing the storage of perishable items can be a great way to extend the life of your products and increase profitability. To ensure that you are entrusting your items to a reliable storage provider, take a look at the following factors to look for when seeking a storage partner. What Should a Cold Storage Provider Offer You? 1. Temperature Control Temperature control is one of the most important features to consider in a cold storage facility. Make sure that the facility can maintain a consistent temperature, as this will help preserve the quality of your goods. Additionally, the facility should have an alarm system in place that will alert staff in the event of a malfunction or power outage. 2. Security A secure storage facility is of the utmost importance when storing your valuable items. Look for a facility that has 24/7 security monitoring, along with secure entry and exit points. Additionally, you should be able to easily track and trace your products from start to finish. Automated systems such as RFID scanners and barcode scanners can help streamline the storage and retrieval process, making it easier to track and manage your items. 3. Flexibility When selecting a cold storage facility, it’s important to consider how flexible the facility is. Make sure that the facility can increase or decrease its storage capacity as needed, and that it offers a variety of storage options to accommodate different products. Additionally, the facility should be able to accommodate a range of delivery and pickup times.