Re: Raw meat thawed in shipping - OK to eat raw?

[Guest guest]

my impression is that this meat is pretty darn good stuff (i've a bunch in

my freezer as well). without the grain it should age / decay gracefully as

opposed to putrifying. i know i give my dog bones that lay about in the hot

sun for days and he still works at the marrow 'n such with no observed ill

effects.

doesn't northstar have a guarantee on this stuff if it's damaged in

shipping?

my two cents but certainly wait for more informed opinions!

oliver...

On 6/28/07, Suze Fisher <s.fisher22@...> wrote:

>

> I just got an overnight shipment from Northstar Bison 100% grassfed

> meat. It

> was all thawed completely, although it was shipped frozen. The styrofoam

> box

> it was packed in had broken and I guess this is why it had thawed. It was

> the second shipment I received like this, although the previous one still

> had some of the meat frozen and I think all of it was at least cold.

>

> In any event, this is for my dog who has multiple health issues including

> Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She will be 17 in Aug. I feed it to her raw.

> The

> meat is vacuum-sealed. Is there any reason to think it's not safe to eat

> raw

> after it's been at room temp for less than 24 hrs? I've refrozen it and

> will

> be feeding it over the next few months.

>

> I wouldn't worry about it much if she didn't have IBD, but her gut is very

> sensitive. I do give her probiotics daily. Any thoughts on this would be

> appreciated.

>

> Suze Fisher

> Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

> http://www.westonaprice.org

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>my impression is that this meat is pretty darn good stuff

It is amazing stuff!

>i give my dog bones that lay about in the hot sun for days and

>he still works at the marrow 'n such with no observed ill effects.

Right, but I'm talking about a 17-yr-old with IBD.

>

>doesn't northstar have a guarantee on this stuff if it's

>damaged in shipping?

The food isn't damaged - just the styrofoam container. I think the issue is

with the shipper - DHL - as they apparently have only had some problems

recently in a few areas.

did say the meat is fine to eat raw despite the thawing. I believe

she's probably right. Thanks for responding!

Suze

[Guest guest]

> I wouldn't worry about it much if she didn't have IBD, but her gut

is very

> sensitive. I do give her probiotics daily. Any thoughts on this would be

> appreciated.

>

> Suze,

It seems high-amines give me diarrhea and gut distress. Pro-biotic

supps may increase the already high amine levels in the meat. Keep an

eye on her, as you do, and see how she does. Will they give you a credit?

tb

[Guest guest]

>

>It seems high-amines give me diarrhea and gut distress.

>Pro-biotic supps may increase the already high amine levels in

>the meat. Keep an eye on her, as you do, and see how she does.

I will definitely keep an eye on her, but I suspect amines are not an issue

for dogs as they are for humans, or at least not to the same extent. Dogs

evolved on rotting meat as well as fresh. IME, they even seem to prefer the

rotting stuff.

> Will they give you a credit?

I don't think so. They said the meat is fine and I believe that's probably

true. It was just barely cool when I got it - not refrigerator temp, but

closer to room temp, albeit slightly cool.

Suze

[Guest guest]

They said the meat is fine and I believe that's probably

> true. It was just barely cool when I got it - not refrigerator temp, but

> closer to room temp, albeit slightly cool.

>

> Suze,

The meat was fine--when it arrived--but re-freezing it has

*considerably* lowered its quality.

tb

[Guest guest]

>The meat was fine--when it arrived--but re-freezing it has

>*considerably* lowered its quality.

How?

Suze

[Guest guest]

> How?

>

Suze,

Oh dear, I just read about it in Cooks Illustrated. End of the day:

it's fine for the dog, sure, as long as she doesn't have difficulty

digesting it.

What you need to clarify with Northstar or DHL, however, is that since

you were *compelled* to refreeze it through no fault of your own, but

in fact, because of their error, you've paid premium price for

pet-food quality meat.

Oh, here it is from the website:

http://cooksillustrated.com/

ASK COOK'S

Can I Refreeze Meat for Later Use?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food that is

properly thawed in the refrigerator is safe to refreeze in its raw

state. The only drawback is a reduction in quality due to moisture

loss. The slow process of freezing that occurs in a home freezer (as

compared with a commercial freezer) causes large ice crystals to form.

The crystals rupture the cell walls of the meat, permitting the

release of juices during cooking. A second freeze-thaw cycle

aggravates the problem, as the meat's liquid-retaining capacity is

further reduced, allowing even more moisture to escape from the meat

as it cooks.

We wanted to see just how much moisture was lost from repeated

freeze-thaw cycles. To find out, we cooked three 7-ounce samples of

85-percent lean ground beef—one straight from the store, one that we'd

frozen and thawed once, and one that we'd frozen and thawed twice—over

medium-high heat in a small skillet, drained them, and measured the

amount of liquid released. We then repeated the test and averaged the

results. The batches of ground beef that we hadn't frozen released 3/4

teaspoon of liquid. The batches that had undergone a freeze-thaw cycle

were dry-tasting, having released 2 teaspoons of liquid. The ground

beef that had been frozen and thawed twice was even worse, releasing a

full tablespoon of liquid. So while it's safe to refreeze defrosted

meat, we don't recommend it.

tb

[Guest guest]

Suze,

I do realize we're discussing meat to be eaten raw by dogs, not cooked.

It's fine, it's great. I'm just money-conscious and acutely aware

of your intention to procure the best-quality food for your animals

and your willingness to pay for it, which is where I think the

companies came up short--and can afford to give you credit. But it's

really no big deal and not, perhaps, worth the phone calls.

tb

[Guest guest]

>According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food

>that is properly thawed in the refrigerator is safe to

>refreeze in its raw state. The only drawback is a reduction in

>quality due to moisture loss.

Thanks . This isn't a problem for me because when the meat thaws I

just pour the juice into the food processor when I put the meat in. I

process it to make it more digestible. So she ends up getting all the juice

:-)

Suze