Canned and frozen meat are a commodity in many markets and industries. Frozen meats and canned meats account for a large percentage of the food sold in restaurants,grocery stores and commercial food distribution centers, so it's important to know how to handle canned and frozen meats safely.

Canned meat manufacturers and purchasers need to be trained to handle, store and prepare meat in a can and frozen meat safely. Anyone handling canned meat should receive canned and frozen meat education and training which should include:

1. Learning safe methods for freezing meat.

2. Understanding proper methods and guidelines for canning meat.

3. Getting trained according to regulations for handling canned and frozen meats safely.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn food safety guidelines for freezing meat

Knowing how to properly freeze and thaw meat is important to ensure the safety of the food. This is especially important when operating a food service business that handles frozen meat of any kind. Learn safe methods for freezing meat and handling it once it's frozen.

I recommend: Register for the Meat News newsletter and learn tips for sanitation and freezing meat, along with the latest industry news. Attend the annual conference of the American Association of Meat Processors to learn the latest facts about canned and frozen meat and how to process it.

Get training in safety guidelines concerning canning meat

Canned beef and meat products are widely commercially distributed by restaurants and wholesale food suppliers. Canned meat producers need to learn the federal safety guidelines concerning canned meat products and the proper methods for canning to ensure the safety and quality of the product. Learn the federal regulations for canning meat and the proper way to can meat and make sure you follow all federal and state guidelines.

I recommend: The Arizona Department of Education offers a Meat Processing Training Course that will teach you proper methods of freezing and canning meat and the safety guidelines to follow. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture provides Retail Meat and Poultry Processing Training Modules that will teach you about processing and handling meat. You can download modules on such topics as freezing, packaging, and sanitation.

Find resources about federal guidelines regarding frozen and canned meats

Any food industry business processing canned and frozen meat for human consumption is subject to federal and state regulations and inspections. It's important to learn the safe and proper way to handle and store frozen and canned meat in order to pass these health inspections and ensure the safety of your meat products.

I recommend: Attend the American Meat Institute's Meat Industry Expo, an annual show dedicated to teaching canned and frozen meat processors about the latest industry advances and safety regulations or issues. Register for the Meat Industry Research Conference and download presentations and seminars from past conferences.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Attend food industry seminars to learn about new safety regulations and packaging options for canned and frozen meat.

Canned and frozen meat can be used to cut the time it takes to make complex dishes, soups, stews and even salads. By using high-quality prepped canned meat and frozen meat, you can offer the very best to your patrons at a better price and with faster service than making everything from scratch.

Frozen meat comes in all varieties from reputable frozen meat manufacturers, from ham, chicken and fish to various cuts of beef. Top canned food labels can fill your shelves to make it easier to make a chicken salad, pot pie or other dishes. Many restaurants and food services use frozen and canned meat of some kind in their recipes. When considering what canned and frozen meats to use in your business, you should:

1. Decide on the canned and frozen meat products you would most like to have on hand as ingredients to enhance dishes you make most or that you wouldn't use often enough to keep the ingredients fresh on hand.

2. Find reputable canned and frozen meat processors and suppliers to keep your kitchen stocked.

3. Purchase specialty canned and frozen meat products to offer ethnic menu items to your patrons.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide on the canned and frozen meat products you will stock in your kitchen

There are many types of canned and frozen meats from which to choose in stocking your commercial kitchen. Consider the recipes you use most, the type of menu you are offering and the changes you can make in the way you buy and use ingredients. Contact other restaurants in your area that have similar menus to ask about the quantities they order and what suppliers they recommend.

I recommend: SYSCO is one of the largest and most well-known marketers and distributors of both canned and frozen foods for restaurants and other food service businesses. SYSCO will deliver frozen meat products like chicken breasts, fish fillets, pork roasts and high-quality cuts of beef. They also distribute their own label canned meats, or those by top canned food brands like Campbell's and frozen brands like Tyson. Foodservice.com offers canned and frozen food reports detailing what canned and frozen meats are selling best and which are not selling as quickly.

Find reputable canned and frozen meat distributors

Working with a reputable canned meats and frozen meats company can save you time and money, especially if you have contacts with a frozen seafood wholesale supplier. The more items you can get with one frozen meat company the better.

I recommend: Though meat in a can sounds a little unnerving, one of the top canned meat manufacturers, Hormel Foods, has been producing quality and much-loved products for over 50 years. Among Hormel's top products is the infamous Spam, as well as canned hams and canned beef products. Maid-Rite Steak Company offers a large variety of frozen meats including lamb, beef, and veal in a selection of forms--bulk, patties and others.

Purchase specialty canned and frozen meat products

By offering specialty varieties of meat in a can or frozen to your customers, you can expand your customer base and be known for thinking outside the box of the restaurants in your neighborhood and city. When thinking of the specialty items to offer on a menu, include the culture of the neighborhood and city you live or do business in.

I recommend: Vanee Foods has a selection of canned meat products, including boned chicken, canned beef crumbles and ham shanks in natural juices. This variety allows you to order in bulk the items you use most. Ember Farms offers a variety of pre-cooked, frozen meat products, including sausage crumbles and links that are ready to use in a variety of foods.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Watch your canned and frozen meat inventory closely the first couple of weeks. By immediately noticing trends and adjusting orders accordingly, you can save money and reduce spoilage.
• •  Always remember the 'last in, last out' theory of food inventory management. Buy an industrial sized can organizer (like the kind canned food companies use to stock soup on store shelves) that allows canned goods to roll out toward the front from the back where you will load them. Also put newly received frozen food behind older food to encourage you and your staff to always be pulling the oldest food out for use.

Canned and frozen meat are staples of the American diet. From making a quick beef sandwich for lunch to defrosting frozen chicken breasts for dinner, it seems as if these products fill up pantries and freezers. Because this is such a part of the American diet, it pays to familiarize yourself with some key terms that you might come across when purchasing or using canned or frozen meat in your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shelf stable

Shelf stable means that meat that would ordinarily require refrigeration has been processed and sealed in a can and can be kept at room temperature safely for an indefinite period.

I recommend: See this definition by the Food and Drug Administration. Also see this page by the Agricutlural Utilzation Research Institute. A full brochure is available in a PDF file.

Hot pack

Hot pack is the process of cooking meat until it is about two-thirds cooked. At that point it's ready to be placed in the can for sealing.

I recommend: View University of Florida for more information on this process.

Spoilage

Spoilage of meat that has been canned occurs when it has not been properly processed, when it has been contaminated by various heat-resistant microorganisms or when the can is faulty or damaged.

I recommend: The North Dakota State University gives a good explanation of spoilage.

Flash freezing

Flash freezing refers to freezing a piece of meat by placing it in cryogenic (very low) temperatures. This process is said to keep the piece of meat in its freshest state. Chicken parts and hamburger patties are sometimes individually flash frozen to make it easier to separate individual portions without thawing a full package.

I recommend: Visit Taste of Texas; it uses flash freezing on its beef products. Horizon Foods also offers a discussion of flash freezing.

Raw pack

Raw pack is the process of placing uncooked meat into cans or jars for processing. This process is suitable only for meat parts or cubes; ground meats and broths must be cooked before canning.

I recommend: Canning USA has more in-depth information on this process. Also see this definition by The University of Missouri.

Freezer burn

Freezer burn in meat occurs when the food has not been sealed properly before freezing and oxidation or dehydration has occurred.

I recommend: Check out The Library of Congress. View WiseGeek for more information and how to prevent freezer burn.