Packaging and traceability
Farmstead packaging
Most meats we package are vacuum-packed (vac-packed) or in a modified atmosphere pack (MAP). MAP can cause general discolouring of beef or lamb; however pork or chicken can have little colour difference.
Once the packet is opened and oxygen can get to the meat, the colour will return. Upon opening, there is a slight odour which disperses after a short period of time.
When the meat is vac packed for a period of time, there may be some blood loss in the pack, especially common with mince and stroganoff as there is more surface area for moisture to come from.
Vac-packed mince can also appear fatty as the fat pieces are compressed when all of the air is drawn out so the fat looks to be on top of the meat. However, this is dependent on the VL (visual lean) of the meat.
Traceability
Farmstead only work with trusted suppliers in long-term partnerships, always upholding our core pillars of quality, consistency, trust and value.
Farmstead prides itself on ‘farm to fork’ traceability, having the ability to identify the origin, abattoir, cutting plant and butchery operations through which the meat has passed through on route to the customer.
We do this by allocating a Goods Received Number (GRN) to each consignment, against which we cross reference all this information. The country of origin and the EC packing plant number are key to being able to trace the product back to the cutting plant or abattoir depending on the type of product and species.
