Assessing the significance of premature spoilage in Australian vacuum-packed beef and lamb supply chains

Despite the recognised high quality of Australian beef and lamb, challenges still exist in ensuring the long shelf-life of vacuum-packed products due to unforeseen premature spoilage. This can lead to customer dissatisfaction and financial claims against exporters/processors. To this end, the proposed project aims to assess the extent and cost of premature spoilage within the industry by conducting a survey of Australian processors/exporters. The results will highlight current challenges and knowledge gaps, paving the way for a future project designed to help the industry to address these. This includes identifying causes, developing diagnostic methods and recommending effective preventive measures.