The two numbers to remember
| Where | Keep it at |
|---|---|
| Chiller or fridge | 4°C or colder |
| Freezer | −18°C or colder |
These are the temperatures used in common food safety guidance. Put a cheap thermometer in each chiller and freezer and check it every morning and evening. A chiller that is full to the door, or opened all day, can be much warmer than its dial says.
How long meat keeps in a chiller
A widely used food safety chart gives these times for raw meat kept at 4°C or below:
| Meat | In the chiller |
|---|---|
| Steaks, chops and joints (beef, goat, mutton) | 3 to 5 days |
| Mince | 1 to 2 days |
| Offal: liver, kidney, tongue, matumbo | 1 to 2 days |
The clock starts at slaughter, not when the meat reaches your shop. Ask your supplier when the animal was slaughtered and buy only what you can sell in time. Frozen meat stays safe for much longer, but its quality drops, so freeze meat early rather than when it is about to turn.
Signs meat is going bad
- A sour or strong smell
- A slimy or sticky surface
- Colour turning grey or green (beef going a little darker on the surface is normal)
- Flies gathering on one piece more than the rest
When in doubt, take it off the counter. One customer who falls sick costs you far more than a few kilos.
Daily habits that cut waste
- First in, first out. Put new stock behind or below yesterday's, and sell the older meat first.
- Buy to your sales. Look at how many kilos you sold on the same day last week before you order.
- Mince early. Turn trimmings into mince while they are fresh, not at the end of the day.
- Keep the counter cold. Put out only what you need on display and keep the rest in the chiller.
- Clean every day. Wash the block, knives, hooks and trays with hot water and soap, and keep flies out with screens and covers.
- Separate raw and cooked. If you sell choma or cooked food, use different knives, boards and staff for it.
- Write down waste. Weigh what you throw away each day. If waste keeps rising, you are buying too much or storing it badly.
Power cuts
Keep the chiller and freezer doors shut during a blackout; a full freezer holds its cold much longer than one that is opened. If outages are common where you are, a backup generator or an inverter sized for your chillers often pays for itself in meat you do not lose.
Common questions
At what temperature should a butchery chiller be?
At 4°C or colder. Check it with a thermometer every morning and evening.
How long can fresh beef stay in a chiller?
Steaks, chops and joints keep for about 3 to 5 days at 4°C or below. Mince and offal keep for only 1 to 2 days.
Can I refreeze meat after thawing?
Meat thawed in the chiller can be refrozen, though it loses some quality. Meat that has been left out warm should not be refrozen.