The Truth About 'Fresh, Never Frozen' Meat

You’ve seen the ads, probably thousands of times from different restaurants, the old slogan…“Fresh, never frozen!”

I mean shoot, Wendy’s has been using it since sometime around 1970!!!
But have you ever stopped to ask what that actually means? Just the basic logistics of such a feat are overwhelming.

It’s become a marketing badge of honor — the gold standard for how meat should be handled… or so we’re told.

But let’s pull back the curtain a bit.

Because while it sounds like you’re getting meat straight from the butcher’s block, the reality behind that phrase — especially when it’s used by large chains — might surprise you. And once you know the difference, you’ll never look at a fast-food burger the same way again.

And I know plenty of you are going to say, I don’t eat fast food, so this isn’t an issue. And to that, I say great!

But…… recently, I saw something referencing a small, local restaurant that indicated they were serving fresh, never frozen chicken wings…so this claim isn’t just something big chains are using to draw you in.

The “Fresh” Illusion

When a restaurant like Wendy’s or that wing joint says their meat is “fresh, never frozen,” they’re telling the truth — but only technically.

Here’s the catch…because it seems like there’s always a catch!

Under USDA guidelines, meat is still considered fresh as long as it has never dropped below 26°F.

You can pause here and Google at what temperature meat freezes….or I’ll help, it’s 26°F – 28°F….so was it frozen? What do you think?

That means the beef, pork, chicken, or any of the others could be processed, vacuum-sealed, and stored in trucks or warehouses indefinitely before it reaches your plate.

It’s industrial food logistics at its finest — precision chilling, fast distribution, and just-in-time deliveries.

But that “fresh” meat isn’t coming off the farm and heading straight to your plate. It’s coming out of a shipping box from a warehouse somewhere, having been handled by who-knows-how-many people along the way.

And while 26°F does constitute frozen, it’s not exactly a deep freeze and still allows some degradation to the quality of the meat.

At least it’s not misleading marketing, right?!

Here’s How It Works at C&F Farms

At our farm, we do things differently — and proudly so.

The animals we raise are moved daily on pasture, handled with care, and never given antibiotics or hormones.

When it’s time for processing, they’re harvested at a small USDA-inspected facility that we know and trust.

Once the meat is cut and packaged, it’s frozen immediately — at the peak of freshness, and down to temperatures of at least 0°F!

That’s important, because:

  - It locks in quality. The moment meat is cut, the freshness clock starts      ticking. By freezing it right away, we stop that clock.

  - It preserves flavor and nutrients. You’re getting meat that tastes the way    it should, without being weeks old before it ever hits the skillet.

  - It gives you transparency. You know when it was processed, how it was    raised, and exactly who raised it. There’s no guesswork, no smoke and    mirrors — just real food from real people.

We keep your meat frozen until it’s picked up or shipped, so when you thaw it at home, you’re starting fresh — truly.

So… Which One Is Fresher?

A fast food patty that’s been vacuum-packed and trucked across the country for two weeks — or a steak from a local farm, frozen just hours after being packed?

And we don’t expect much more from big chains like Wendy’s, but local restaurants are using the same buzz words to get you in.

Is it okay to support any of those businesses?

We’ll let you decide. That’s not really for us to tell you. We’re here to educate you and make sure you’re making informed decisions.

But at the end of the day for us, “fresh” should mean more than just a number on a thermometer. It should mean quality, honesty, and trust.

And that’s what we aim to deliver — every time you open a package from us.

Next time you see that “never frozen” slogan on a billboard or takeout menu, just know:
Frozen doesn’t mean lesser. Frozen at the right time means better.