Our main priority.

INAPPROPRIATE HANDLING AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON PRODUCT QUALITY

Animals, including those intended for food production, have a brain structure that allows them to feel fear and pain in a similar way to humans. This is one of the most important causes of STRESS, which generates lower levels of production and product quality. Therefore, poor handling practices, inadequate facilities, or accidental injuries can generate stress and lead to aggressiveness and handling problems, as well as lower meat quality.

Suffering and stress lead to:

• Defects and Meat Quality: due to the tension or stress endured by the animals, causing their half-carcasses to present defects such as:

1. 1. 1. PSE meat (pale, soft, and exudative).
      2. DFD meat (dry, firm, and dark).

• Bruises or wounds caused by trampling and crushing among animals, which are an important cause of seizure. Inadequate transportation and mistreatment prior to slaughter cause hematomas that may require the removal of pieces of meat, resulting in a loss of weight. In addition, the color, pH, and water-holding capacity of the meat may also be affected. These injuries not only imply a poor appearance and a deterioration of commercial value, but they are also a source of contamination, as blood is a suitable medium for microbial growth.

Traceabilty

Frigorífico Gral Las Heras considers traceability as one of its main pillars in food safety because it allows linking each and every stage of the production process. The high demands of the current global market today require the insertion of edible products that can be traced back to their place of origin. Traceability equals food transparency. The troop numbers, production dates, classification, cards on half carcasses, identification on quarters, identification on each cut, and finally in boxes. This procedure allows tracking the entire cycle I, II, and III process with just one scan.