Experts call for use-by dates on red meat to be extended to 21 days

‘It was ridiculous this was brought in,’ meat industry expert says of current 10-day meat shelf life guidance

Meat industry experts are calling for the use-by date on red meat to be extended from 10 days to 21 days, stating that the current guideline is “ridiculous”.

In a report published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in June 2017, it states that the recommended use-by date for raw meat that has been vacuumed or packed with gases is 10 days when stored at a temperature of around three to eight degrees, outlining that a longer shelf life may be permitted depending on factors such as salt concentration and pH.

However, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), a trade association for the British meat industry, states that this use-by date should be more than doubled.

David Lindars, technical operations director of the BMPA, expressed his opposition to the 10-day limit of shelf life for red meat.

Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “We didn’t need this [10-day cap], it was ridiculous this was brought in.”

Mr Lindars added that beef “is safe at 21 days”, stating that “you can go beyond that”.

He explained that in the meat industry, beef is frequently marketed as being safe to store for 21 days.

Last year, the BMPA published research conducted with Meat and Livestock Australia Limited concerning the shelf life of raw meat.

For the report, researchers “carried out a challenge test experiment to establish whether a shelf life of greater than 10 days can be applied to fresh chilled meat”, with their findings supporting the notion of “a shelf life of greater than 10 days for fresh chilled beef, lamb and pork held at 3C to 8C”.

“The ability not to be constrained by a 10-day shelf-life, as indicated in present FSA (2017) guidelines, and the freedom to adopt a shelf-life greater than 10 days at 3C to 8C for fresh chilled beef, lamb and pork is of significant economic/social/sustainability benefits to producers/processors/retailers,” the report concluded.

“Such freedom removes a technical barrier to trade. There may also be environmental/consumer benefits through lower food wastage.”

According to charity WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), every year UK households throw away approximately 240,000 tonnes of beef, pork and poultry products.

A spokesperson for the FSA said they are conducting a review to examine the use-by dates on packaged and chilled red meat products.

“The FSA is committed to maintaining the highest food safety standards possible. Everything we do is based on the latest scientific evidence and risk analysis to ensure protection of public health,” they said.

The spokesperson said the review, which the organisation is “working closely with the industry on”, is due to be concluded by the end of the year.