EFSA reviews bacterial growth in frozen meat
Assessment may inform changes to EU rules
16 February 2026
1 minute read
By: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has assessed how bacteria grow in meat from cattle, sheep and pigs during chilling, storage and defrosting, EFSA said in a recent news release.
The way meat is stored by food business operators before it reaches consumers can affect how bacteria grow. This applies both to harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria, and to bacteria that spoil meat’s smell and appearance.
Experts examined how storage conditions, including temperature, vacuum-packaging and time, affect microbial growth between slaughter and freezing as well as during subsequent defrosting and storage.
To carry out the assessment, experts compared various meat storage and defrosting scenarios with a reference scenario of meat stored without vacuum packaging at 7°C for 15 days, observing differences in microbial growth. They applied the concept of equivalence time, using mathematical models to predict how long meat can be stored before freezing under different conditions until it reaches the same microbial levels as in the reference scenario.
When storing meat at 7°C that was vacuum-packed immediately after stabilisation, equivalence time before freezing was determined by Salmonella and was reached in five to six days of post-slaughter storage. When storing meat at 3°C, equivalence time before freezing was determined by spoilage lactic acid bacteria and was reached in 29 to 30 days post-slaughter. In certain situations, when initial bacterial contamination is high, spoilage may occur before reaching these predicted equivalence times.
When defrosting meat at 4°C or 7°C under the conditions assessed, bacterial growth was absent or limited. Further storage at 4°C for seven days after defrosting may lead to additional bacterial growth depending on storage conditions, suggesting that pre-freezing times in some scenarios should be shortened to reach equivalence with the reference scenario.
The European Commission requested the assessment to address gaps and inconsistencies in EU rules on the microbiological safety of meat intended to be frozen. Based on the findings, the Commission may propose changes to EU legislation.
