Spoiled meat is bad news.

When handling, processing, storing or transporting meat, there is no shortage of opportunities for it to expire.

Meat spoils when it has been left out of its required temperature range for too long and begins to grow bacteria, which can cause numerous illnesses should the meat be consumed.

If you are cooking, storing or transporting meat and want to double check its quality, follow these simple steps…

Check The Use By Date

The use by date is the first, and most obvious, indication of a meat’s reliability.

Regardless of the type of meat, whether it is beef, pork, poultry or fish, it is always going to have a use by date.

If a piece of meat is passed its use by date, it is safe to say that you shouldn’t eat it. 

In saying this, if your meat was frozen when it was still good and you have defrosted it, you can usually safely consume it.

Freezing meat halts the ageing process but if it defrosted in room temperature over a long period of time instead of in the fridge, bacteria is still able to grow. 

Additionally, a piece of meat isn’t necessarily good if it is within its use by date. If it has been stored incorrectly and allowed bacteria to infiltrate, there is a big risk that it has spoilt. 

Have A Smell

As with most expired products, the smell usually gives away its condition.

Even if a piece of meat looks fresh, it’s the smell will give it away.

It’s not a huge secret here either. If it smells rotten and rancid, it’s spoilt. 

Visually Inspect

Another way to determine if a piece of meat is good is to take a close look at it.

Inspect the colour, how it feels and if there are any noticeable growths present. This will usually give you a pretty accurate depiction of the quality if you know what you’re looking for. 

In regards to colour, different types of meat will appear differently when they are fine to eat. For example, poultry appears a bluish-white to subtle yellow colour when good to eat and pork will have a greyish-pink hue. 

Ground beef is harder to pick, as it can range from bright red, to purplish-red to brownish red depending on how it is packaged, the impact of light, presence of carbon monoxide and age of the animal. That’s why you should also look at other factors as well.

Usually, when a piece of meat has expired, it feels slimy or sticky. This is why you should check the texture before consuming.

One of the other obvious signs of spoilage is if it has any sort of growth on it. Mould can begin as a green or black discolouration of the surface of the meat, so be sure to watch for it.

Need Your Meat Transported?

If you need meat, or any temperature sensitive product, transported, the team at Cannon Logistics have your back.

We’ll have your goods to where they need to be quickly and in the best possible condition. 

Contact the team today for more information about our services.