How Cold-Chain Meat Delivery Actually Works (And Why It Matters)
What an unbroken cold chain means, how we pack meat for a Sydney summer, and what to do with your box the moment it arrives.
"Cold chain" means the meat never leaves safe refrigeration temperature — from our Alexandria butchery to your fridge. Break it anywhere and you lose shelf life and, in a Sydney February, food safety. Here's how it holds together.
The danger zone
Bacteria multiply fastest between 5°C and 60°C. The goal for delivery is to keep meat at or below 5°C the entire time, or frozen product below −12°C.
How we pack
- Chilled to the core first. Product goes out at 0–2°C, not fridge-temp — that buffer is what carries it through the trip.
- Insulated liners + food-safe gel packs / dry ice sized to the order and the forecast. A 5kg order in January gets more coolant than the same order in July.
- Frozen and chilled separated so the frozen items don't partially thaw the chilled ones and vice versa.
- Refrigerated vans for the Sydney metro run — the box is cold when it's packed and cold when it's handed over.
What to do when it arrives
- Unpack straight away. Don't leave the box on the porch.
- Check it's cold — the meat should feel refrigerator-cold or frozen-solid. Gel packs may have softened; that's normal and fine as long as the meat is cold.
- Fridge the chilled items in the coldest part (usually the bottom shelf), frozen items straight to the freezer.
- Re-portion and freeze anything you won't use in 2–3 days. Flat 500g mince packs, single-meal steak packs.
Shelf life once delivered
- Mince, sausages: 2–3 days chilled
- Steaks, chops, diced: 3–5 days chilled
- Roasts (whole muscle): 4–6 days chilled
- Vacuum-sealed: add 2–4 days
- Frozen: 3–6 months depending on cut
If something's not right
If a delivery arrives above fridge temperature or you have any doubt, don't cook it — contact us with a photo and we'll replace it. That's the whole point of buying from a butcher rather than a marketplace.
Frequently asked questions
Is meat delivered to your door safe?
Yes, when it's cold-chain delivered. The meat should arrive at or below 5°C (or frozen solid). Unpack it immediately, check it's cold, and refrigerate or freeze it straight away. If it arrives warm, don't cook it — contact us for a replacement.
How is meat kept cold during delivery?
It's chilled to 0–2°C before packing, wrapped in insulated liners with gel packs or dry ice sized to the order and the weather, with frozen and chilled items separated, and run on refrigerated vans across Sydney metro.
How long does delivered meat last in the fridge?
Mince and sausages 2–3 days, steaks and chops 3–5 days, whole-muscle roasts 4–6 days, vacuum-sealed a few days longer. Freeze anything you won't use in that window.
Do the gel packs need to still be frozen when it arrives?
Not necessarily. The gel packs can soften on a warm day and the meat is still fine — what matters is that the meat itself is refrigerator-cold or frozen-solid when you unpack it.