Temperatures and ages of packs of beef displayed at stores in Canada

The surface temperatures and ages of 1703 retail packs of chilled, raw beef in cut or ground forms on display in a case at each of 41 Canadian retail stores were determined. For each case, data were collected from packs at pre-selected positions in the case. Data for a position were not collected if a pack of beef was not present there. Data were collected at a different time on each of 3 days, with each store being visited within l h after opening and l h before closing and between 12:00 and 14:00 h, without regard to the operation of the case defrosting cycle. The median temperatures of pack surfaces were <4 °C, between 4 and 7 °C, and >7 °C at 24, 16 and one stores, respectively. The maximum temperatures were <4 °C, between 4 and 7 °C and >7 °C at 3, 18, and 20 stores, respectively. The median ages were 0 day, 1 day, and 2 or 3 days at 19, 17 and 5 stores, respectively. The maximum ages were ⩽2 days, between 2 and 4 days, and >4 days at 21, 14 and six stores, respectively. Temperatures were generally lower at the backs than at the fronts of cases, on upper than on bottom shelves, and within than on the tops of stacks of packs. Temperatures were apparently not affected by the positions of packs along the lengths of cases, and did not differ at different times of day.