The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: rebeccabeau1 on December 16, 2013, 05:27:09 am

Title: Selling home produced meat at markets
Post by: rebeccabeau1 on December 16, 2013, 05:27:09 am
I am currently thinking about selling my home produced pork at local markets. However I am wondering how most people store the meat to do this? Is it best to sell it fresh or frozen?

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 :farmer: :pig:
Title: Re: Selling home produced meat at markets
Post by: bloomer on December 16, 2013, 07:25:59 am
message happyhippy on here or i'm sure she'll find you, i know they sell there pork through a local farmers market.
Title: Re: Selling home produced meat at markets
Post by: HappyHippy on December 16, 2013, 02:05:22 pm
Hi,
First off you'll need to register with environmental health as a food producer and make sure your butcher is registered/inspected, you'll need to have thought about how you'll transport/store the meat to keep it at the right temperatures for selling and what you'll do with any that's left afterwards. And you'll need insurance to cover your 'product'.
We time it so our pig goes off the same week as we have a market on, we collect everything fresh on the day (cue 8am visit to the butcher and manic running around) and anything that's left gets frozen for our own use once home. I tend to sell a pigs' worth of meat plus extra sausages/burgers and bacon at one of our markets, but this will vary depending on your area/other producers doing the same thing.
If we've not got a market on we tend to get the butcher to blast freeze everything and just sell from the freezer.
HTH
Title: Re: Selling home produced meat at markets
Post by: shygirl on December 16, 2013, 04:54:47 pm
speak to the eh before you do anything. they will have lots of practical tips. some areas are happy with ice packs - others want refrigerated vans - so speak to them and see what they advise, they aren't scary if you haven't been naughty.  :innocent:
Title: Re: Selling home produced meat at markets
Post by: rebeccabeau1 on December 17, 2013, 06:23:12 am
Thanks everyone for your help  ;D
Greatly appreciated!

 :farmer: :pig:
Title: Re: Selling home produced meat at markets
Post by: fiestyredhead331 on December 18, 2013, 10:22:53 pm
your local EH officer should be glad to help, and they love it if you go to them and ask for advice before you start things, people that just go ahead without adhering to the rules etc get on their nerves..lol
If we have a slaughter the week of a market, we sell it fresh in a chilled display unit or frozen if we're between kills.