At OBMWA, whenever you make an order with us, we use our refrigerated transport vehicle to personally deliver your meat box to you, so you can be assured all of your meat cuts are kept frozen, and transport time is as low as we can possibly make it from OBMWA to your freezer. Deliveries to the Geraldton area are with a 3rd party refrigerated transport company within our guidelines and process to ensure our products arrive ready to go into your freezer.
We transport our product frozen, rather than fresh for several reasons. Transporting meat frozen rather than fresh can have numerous health benefits. Frozen meat can help protect against the growth of bacteria and other contaminants, as freezing temperatures can stop the growth of most microorganisms. Additionally, frozen meat can help prevent spoilage, ensuring the product stays fresh for longer periods of time. This helps to provide consumers with more nutritious, safe, and high-quality meat products. Finally, frozen meat can help reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses, as freezing can help to kill any harmful bacteria naturally present in the meat.
All of our organic products are fresh and of the highest quality at the time of freezing, meaning that freezing it at its ‘peak quality’ allows for the best taste when thawed. There is no nutritional deficiency during the freezing process and using the Cryovacing packaging, as we do, (except for our sausages and some offal cuts) helps maintain the integrity of the meat and keep it safe from freezer-burn or dry spots while freezing.
During transit, the product may safely start to de-frost which is perfectly fine and safe to re-freeze as it has remained in a chilled, controlled environment. - you don’t have to cook it up all at once or eat it immediately. The Food Safety Information Council confirms it’s a common myth that you can’t refreeze raw chicken or other raw meats that have been safely defrosted in the fridge. In fact, you can safely re-freeze frozen or defrosting chicken, as long as you follow these guidelines:
If the product has been safely defrosted in a refrigerated environment (e.g. refrigerated truck or home fridge), it’s quite safe to re-freeze
As long as the raw meat, or any other frozen food, has been safely defrosted in a refrigerator at 5 degrees Celsius or below, it’s perfectly food safe to refreeze it to use at a later date.
The only time you shouldn’t refreeze your meat is if it has been defrosted out of the fridge on the bench top at room temperate; this increases the risk of food poisoning as bacteria can grow rapidly in these conditions. The alternative would be to cook it up and freeze it in portions after being cooled.
Food Safety Handling Tips
Here are some tips on how you can keep your chicken and other meat safe when handling, storing, and cooking:
Use your product within 2-3 days of defrosting (or follow the “Best Before - Fresh” date on your label) and store it in leak-proof containers in the fridge at 5 degrees or below.
If you don’t plan to use your product after cooking within 2-3 days, then divide it into usable portions and freeze it immediately.
Only defrost the necessary amount, and the safest way to defrost meat is in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
If you need your meat urgently, defrost it in a sink filled with cold water and remember to cook immediately afterward.
Got questions?
If you do have any questions about the safe food handling of your product from OBMWA, please get in touch with us.