Quality & cold chain
Meat is only as good as the last hour of its journey. Everything on this page exists to make sure the product you unpack is in the condition it left our cold store in.
Specific temperature set points, our food hygiene rating, approval numbers and audit dates are marked [TO CONFIRM] because they must be stated from our current documented records rather than from a general description. They are held on file and available to trade customers on request.
01 — Temperature
Cold, from goods-in to goods-out
The cold chain is not a single step. It is a sequence, and it is only as strong as the weakest link in it.
Product is temperature-checked when it arrives with us and moved straight into chilled or frozen storage. It stays there until it is picked, and the time it spends out of temperature control during cutting and packing is kept as short as the work allows.
Chilled product is held between 0 and 5°C and frozen product at −18°C or below. Storage temperatures are monitored and recorded, and out-of-range readings trigger a documented response rather than a shrug.
- Temperature checked and recorded at goods-in
- Continuous monitoring of chilled and frozen storage
- Recorded checks at [TO CONFIRM — frequency]
- Documented corrective action for any out-of-range reading
- Calibration of monitoring equipment at [TO CONFIRM — frequency]
02 — Storage & transport
Where it sits, and how it travels
- 01 Chilled storage Fresh product is held chilled and rotated strictly by date code. Species are separated within storage, and product is racked so air can move around it.
- 02 Frozen storage Product frozen at our end is blast frozen rather than slow frozen, which protects texture on defrost. Fresh product is never re-frozen.
- 03 Loading discipline Vehicles are pre-chilled before loading, loads built to minimise door-open time, chilled and frozen kept separate within the load.
- 04 Refrigerated vehicles Deliveries run on temperature-controlled vehicles carrying our product only — never consolidated with third-party loads.
- 05 Sensible routing Runs are planned by region rather than stretched across the country in a day, so no drop sits at the end of an unreasonable tail.
- 06 Checked at handover Product is handed over against a delivery note you can check before the driver leaves. Anything not right gets noted on the paperwork there and then.
03 — Controls
HACCP-based food safety controls
Our food safety management system is based on HACCP principles, as required of food businesses in the UK.
In practical terms that means we have identified the points in our process where something could go wrong, set a limit for each one, and put a check in place to confirm it stays within that limit — with a written record and a defined response when it does not.
Full details of our documented system, including our critical control points and their limits, are [TO CONFIRM — HACCP plan reference and last review date]. Our food business registration or approval number is [TO CONFIRM].
- Hazard analysis covering receipt, storage, cutting, packing and dispatch
- Critical control points with defined limits and monitoring
- Recorded corrective actions when a limit is not met
- Documented cleaning schedules and verification
- Pest control under contract with recorded visits
- Staff hygiene and training records maintained
- Periodic review of the whole system
04 — Date coding
Date coding and stock rotation
A date code is only useful if it is applied consistently and then actually used to rotate stock.
Every pack that leaves us carries a date code applied at the point of packing, alongside the product description, our product code, net weight, batch identifier and storage instruction. Fresh product carries a use-by date; frozen product carries a best-before date and a clear frozen storage instruction.
Our own stock is rotated strictly first in, first out by date code. Shelf life on delivery varies by line and by how it is packed — vacuum-packed primals carry considerably longer than an open-tray cut. If a minimum remaining shelf life matters to your operation, tell us and we will agree it as part of your account specification.
Check date codes against your own requirements when you receive a delivery, and get product into your chiller or freezer promptly. The cold chain becomes yours at the point of handover.
05 — Inspection
Hygiene rating and inspection
We are inspected by our local authority like any other food business, and we are happy for customers to see the outcome.
Our Food Hygiene Rating Scheme rating is 5 — the highest rating, awarded by Luton Borough Council. Our food business registration or approval number is [TO CONFIRM].
Trade customers who need this evidence for their own supplier approval records can request it with their account paperwork, and we will reissue it after each inspection.
06 — Verification
Checks and audits
- Local authority food hygiene inspection — rated 5, the highest
- Supplier halal certificates held on file and refreshed at renewal
- Internal verification against our documented procedures
- Temperature and cleaning records reviewed and retained
- Supplier approval reviewed, including certification status
- Customer audits welcomed by arrangement
07 — Recall
Withdrawal and recall procedure
No food business wants to use this procedure. Every serious food business has one anyway, tested and ready, because the time to work out what to do is not while it is happening.
Identify and stop
As soon as a potential problem is identified — whether by us, by a customer, by a supplier or by an enforcement authority — the affected batch is placed on hold and any remaining stock is quarantined so nothing further goes out.
Trace forward and back
Using the batch identifier we establish which incoming consignment the product came from, and which customers received it on which runs. This is exactly what the traceability records exist to make possible.
Assess the risk
We determine the nature and seriousness of the issue and whether it is a withdrawal (product removed before it reaches consumers) or a recall (product already with consumers). Where a recall is required we notify the Food Standards Agency and our local authority.
Notify customers directly
Every affected customer is contacted directly using the named contact on their account, not left to find out from a notice. We tell you what the product is, which batch and date codes are affected, what the issue is and exactly what we need you to do with the stock you hold.
Recover, resolve and record
Affected product is recovered or disposed of under our instruction, credits are raised, and the whole event is recorded — including what caused it and what we have changed to stop it happening again.
A recall procedure only works if we can reach you quickly. If your named contact, phone number or email changes, please tell us so your account record stays right.
Supplier approval
Need our documentation on file?
We can supply certification, specification sheets, storage and allergen information, hygiene rating evidence and traceability confirmations for your own supplier approval records.