Cold chain for meat: temperatures, transport and checks

These are upper limits, not targets. Many buyers specify lower temperatures in their contracts, especially for vacuum-packed meat with a long shelf life. The limits apply to the meat itself, so they refer to product temperature, not the air temperature in the trailer.

Sources: Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 (EUR-Lex) · Directive 89/108/EEC (EUR-Lex).

EU hygiene law requires that meat reaches the specified temperature before transport and stays there during transport. In practice this means:

• the vehicle is pre-cooled to the set temperature before loading;
• loading happens quickly, ideally through a sealed dock, so that the doors are open as briefly as possible;
• pallets are stacked so that cold air can circulate, without blocking the air ducts;
• carcases and quarters are hung, unless they are packed;
• chilled and frozen goods travel in separate compartments with separate temperature control;
• packed and unpacked meat are kept apart, unless they are suitably separated.

For international road transport, refrigerated vehicles are usually certified under the UN ATP agreement on the international carriage of perishable foodstuffs. The ATP certificate says what the vehicle is capable of, not what temperature it actually kept on a given trip. That is the job of the temperature record.

Transport terms, carrier and temperature set points are agreed per order; see our wholesale page for how we organise deliveries.

The handover is where responsibility passes from one party to the next, so it is also where problems must be documented. A practical goods-in routine:

1. Check the vehicle’s temperature display and the record of the trip before opening the doors.
2. Measure the product temperature with a calibrated probe thermometer, between packs or, if necessary, in the core of a sacrificial sample.
3. Inspect packaging: no torn vacuum packs, no leaking blood, no crushed cartons, no frost or ice crystals on chilled goods.
4. Compare labels with the delivery note: product, batch, durability date, approval number, quantity.
5. Move the goods into cold storage immediately after checking.

Measure several packs from different positions in the load, especially near the doors, where temperatures rise first. Record the readings with the time and the name of the person who took them. A delivery note signed without reservation makes later complaints difficult.

A single reading on arrival can hide a problem: meat that warmed up during a long stop and was cooled again before delivery may look correct at the door. A continuous record makes such events visible.

For quick-frozen foods, Regulation (EC) No 37/2005 (EUR-Lex) requires means of transport, warehousing and storage to be fitted with suitable recording instruments to monitor air temperature, and the records to be kept. For chilled meat, there is no equivalent EU requirement, but temperature records are standard practice in the meat trade and are often required by buyers and certification schemes.

Points to agree with your supplier or carrier:

• whether air or product temperature is recorded, and where the sensor sits;
• the recording interval;
• how you receive the record: printout, download or online access;
• how long records are kept.

Ask for the record of any delivery where the arrival temperature is borderline, before accepting the goods.

A broken cold chain cannot be repaired by cooling the meat again. If the limits were exceeded, the meat must be assessed and, if necessary, rejected. This is why the limits, the measuring method and the consequences of a deviation should be agreed in writing before the first delivery.

A short written cold-chain clause avoids most disputes. It should cover:

• target and maximum product temperature for each product group;
• who arranges transport and when risk passes, for example by reference to an Incoterm;
• vehicle requirements, such as refrigerated vehicle, separate compartments, ATP certificate for cross-border transport;
• the form of the temperature record and how it is handed over;
• how temperature is measured at goods-in and by whom;
• the procedure for deviations: notification, photographs, measured values, return or disposal.

The clause should be the same for every delivery under a framework agreement, so that drivers, warehouse staff and quality staff on both sides work to one set of values. Review it whenever products, routes or carriers change.

For the storage that follows delivery, see our guide on meat storage and shelf life. Cold-chain terms for each delivery are set out in our written offer.