The chill chain "from carcass to consumer".

To provide safe meat and meat products of high organoleptic quality, attention must be paid to every aspect of the chill chain. The process commences with the initial chilling of the freshly slaughtered carcass and continues through to the storage of the chilled retail portion within the home. Within the chill chain are two different categories of refrigeration processes. In the first group are those such as primary and secondary chilling, where the aim is to change the average temperature of the meat. In the others, such as chilled storage, transport and retail display, maintaining the initial temperature of the meat or meat product is the prime aim. Failure to understand the needs of each process results in excessive weight loss, higher energy use, reduced shelf life or a deterioration in product quality.