For best results, it is recommended that the product be repackaged by wrapping in freezer paper or tin foil to ensure the product avoids exposure to air. As a customer convenience, a sticker is attached to each package, which contains tips for freezing the product. While the high amount of oxygen in the package can slightly darken the color of the meat, a natural antioxidant (an extract of rosemary) is used to protect the color against the negative impact of oxygen.

After shopping, groceries should be refrigerated as soon as possible. Customers should wash their hands before and after handling raw meat, cook ground beef thoroughly and avoid cross-contamination. Ground beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F to ensure complete elimination of bacteria. For more information on food safety, please see our website.

Giant, we are always looking for better ways and new technology to meet customer needs while providing the same safe, quality, wholesome food. There are a number of common production practices and safe packaging techniques that retain ground beef freshness, including modified atmosphere packaging.

Raw meat products, especially those that are ground, may contain harmful bacteria. For this reason, the USDA recommends that any food dishes made from ground meat products, such as meat loaf and hamburgers, be cooked until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which should destroy any bacteria that might be present.

Generally, ground beef is made from the less tender and less popular cuts of beef. Trimmings from more tender cuts may also be used. Grinding tenderizes the meat and the fat reduces its dryness and improves flavor.

A Listeria is only a problem in ready-to-eat products that will not be heated before consumption and that have a fairly long shelf-life, allowing Listeria to grow to high numbers. Fresh ground beef is not a hazard since the competing microflora slows Listeria growth and the shelf-life is too short for extensive growth. The primary people at risk to Listeriosis is immunocompromised or immune-stressed individuals are susceptible to serious illness from this microorganism.

Today's consumers have many choices of ground beef at the supermarket. In 2002, USDA released new nutrient data that more accurately reflect the variety now available, including 95% lean ground beef which meets the government guidelines for "lean." (US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2003. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 16, homepage: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp

Yes. Our ground beef is 90/10 lean beef, or 90% lean. Our customers tell us, and we agree, that the ground beef is excellent.

All meat transported and sold in interstate commerce must be federally inspected. The larger cuts are usually shipped to local stores where they are ground. The Food Safety and Inspection Service carries out USDA's responsibilities under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. These laws protect consumers by ensuring that meat products are wholesome, unadulterated, and properly marked, labeled, and packaged. For meat being transported and sold within a state, state inspection would apply.

The red color that most people associate with fresh meat is simply meat that has been exposed to and combined with oxygen. Pigments found in animal muscle combine with oxygen to give this red color. It is normal to find this red color on the outer portion of ground beef, since this is the part of the meat that is in most contact with the oxygen in the air. In addition, it is normal to find that the inner portions are darker in color (brownish or purplish) due to their lack of contact with air.

Retailers may use the name of their choice along with the ingredients added to the ground beef. Examples: Extra Value Blend or Our Ground (Beef, Water, Isolated Soy Protein, Salt). To Top of Page

Bacteria are everywhere in our environment. Any food of animal origin can harbor bacteria. Pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, cause illness. These harmful bacteria can not be seen or smelled. When meat is ground, more of the meat is exposed to the harmful bacteria. Bacteria multiply rapidly in the "danger zone" -- temperatures between 40 and 140 °F.

Refrigerate or freeze ground beef as soon as possible after purchase. This preserves freshness and slows growth of bacteria. It can be refrigerated or frozen in its original packaging if the meat will be used soon. For longer freezer storage, wrap in heavy duty plastic wrap, aluminum foil, freezer paper, or plastic bags made for freezing. Ground beef is safe indefinitely if kept frozen, but will lose quality over time. It is best if used within 4 months.

The best way to safely thaw ground beef is in the refrigerator. Keeping meat cold while it is defrosting is essential to prevent growth of bacteria. Cook or refreeze it within 1 or 2 days. To defrost ground beef more rapidly, you can defrost in the microwave oven or in cold water. If using the microwave, cook the ground beef immediately because some areas may begin to cook during the defrosting. To defrost in cold water, put the meat in a watertight plastic bag and submerge.

If you have our ULTRA or UNLIMITED VIP Package you can freeze your account. Freezes can be done once in a 12 month period. Your account will not be deducted $29.95 but only $5 each month. The amount accumulated will be added to your in store account when you "un-freeze" and can be used to purchase lotion, other tanning products or upgrades. You can freeze for a minimum of one month and a maximum of 6 months.

On the day of delivery, your UPS Ground package cannot be scheduled to arrive at a specific time. UPS Ground packages are delivered anytime between 9:00a.m. and 7:00p.m., Monday through Friday. Up-to-date information about the status of your package is available at Tracking. For information about time-definite and Saturday services, please check UPS Service Guide.

Yes, we offer the following shipping methods: - Ground (Usually 3-5 Days) - 2nd Day Air - Next Day Air

ANSWER - Most ground turkey is 7% to 9% fat and has 8 to 10 grams of fat per serving, and includes the skin. Maverick Ranch NaturaLite Ground Beef, Round, Chuck, and Sirloin average 4.5 grams of fat per 4 oz. serving. This translates to a 50% reduction in fat when compared to ground turkey!

Although many consumers use the terms interchangeably, GROUND BEEF, according to the nationwide Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards Code, must be pure beef, ground only from skeletal meat (beef muscle attached to the skeleton) with no variety meats, other meats or ingredients added. Properly, the term hamburger describes the meat when it is cooked. To Top of Page

Standards specify that ground beef can contain varying degrees of leanness from 70 percent to 90 percent or more, and must be labeled accordingly. But it never can contain less than the minimum of 70 percent lean or maximum of 30 percent fat.

Pasturing is an environmentally-friendly practice, avoiding the waste run-off common in feedlots, which is estimated by the EPA to have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states. Pasturing protects the environment for all living creatures. The greater the percentage of cattle's diet that comes from grass, the more optimal the ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids in the beef.

Organic Prairie's 85% Lean Grass-Fed Organic Ground Beef is available fresh and frozen in 1 lb. packages.

Organic Prairie's 85% Lean Grass-Fed Organic Ground Beef is being tested as a pilot program in the Western United States due to strong consumer demand for organic grass-fed beef in that region. If the market dictates, we will expand this program to include other regions.

Sometimes ground beef will turn brown at a temperature well below that which will kill pathogens ? sometimes as low as 130 to 140°. Other times, the ground beef remains pink when the meat is cooked to a temperature of 170°. The U. S. Department of Agriculture has launched a campaign to encourage consumers to cook food to a safe internal temperature (for additional information see www.fightbac.gov and www.fsis.usda.gov/thermy.

A In steaks and roasts packaged in overwrap film, the color of the outside of the cut is bright red. Within the cut, it is purple because there is no oxygen to cause the meat to "bloom" (term used in industry to signify the conversion from the purple state to the red state in the presence of oxygen). In making ground beef, some air is introduced in the grinding process.

E. coli O157:H7 can colonize in the intestines of animals, which could contaminate muscle meat at slaughter. O157:H7 is a strain of E. coli that produces large quantities of a potent toxin that forms in the intestine and causes severe damage to the lining of the intestine. The disease produced by the bacteria is called Hemorrhagic Colitis. E. coli O157:H7 survive refrigerator and freezer temperatures. Once they get in food, they can multiply very slowly at temperatures as low as 44 °F.

the store, choose a package that is not torn and feels cold. If possible, enclose it in a plastic bag so leaking juices won't drip on other foods. Make ground beef one of the last items to go into your shopping cart. Separate raw meat from ready-cooked items in your cart. Have the clerk bag raw meat, poultry, and fish separately from other items. Plan to drive directly home from the grocery store. You may want to take a cooler with ice for perishables.

Yes. Raw and undercooked meat may contain harmful bacteria. USDA recommends not eating or tasting raw or undercooked ground beef. To be sure all bacteria are destroyed, cook meat loaf, meatballs, casseroles, and hamburgers to 160 °F. Use a food thermometer to check that they have reached a safe internal temperature.