A continuous and controlled cold chain is indispensable for maintaining quality and hygiene. It is not for nothing that this aspect is written in capital letter in the important EU food hygiene order based on HACCP. The meaning and purpose of a closed cold chain from production to consumption are protection of the consumer from hazards to health due to spoiled foodstuffs. This is because the greatest enemy of perfect meat is "thermal bridging" during transport or during the warehousing phases.

Proper refrigeration performs still more functions: vacuum-packed fresh meat from South America continues to mature with proper cooling during its four-weeks of transport. It therefore becomes particularly tender during transport, keeps its good flavour and its juiciness.

Strict quality criteria apply for the route from the producer to the provision merchant, both for refrigerated and frozen meat goods: starting temperature, transfer temperature, temperature reserves, number of openings and closings of the transport vehicle etc.

In addition to these defined parameters, we at KURTH Fleischimporte adhere to the tried and trusted recommendations of the German deep freezing institute:

• Placing readily visible thermometers for local sales and refrigerated vehicles of less than
• two cubic metres of loading volume.
• Ensuring air circulation for forced-ventilation units in the area of the headboard, free access
• to all aspiration and expulsion orifices in the freight compartment.
• Observation of a maximum loading height in order to guarantee free air circulation.
• Perfect sealing of the loading doors and exclusion of thermal bridges
• Use of additional equipment objects: elastic swing doors, strip curtains, divided rear doors,
• rear frames for docking on to the loading ramp.

Preservation of a constant cold chain is an obligation for us and its constant optimisation a claim. Numerous control bodies and own-developed measuring procedures which we can deploy at each position help us in doing this.

Because our meat is only allowed to get warm during preparation!