Fresh-chilled describes meat that is chilled promptly after slaughter and kept refrigerated, but never frozen and never subjected to prolonged hanging or ageing. The term reassures buyers — particularly in export and retail labelling — that the product has gone straight from fresh carcass to chill chain without a freezing step that would change its texture and require thawing. Fresh-chilled meat has the eating quality of fresh meat with the shelf life that modern refrigeration, hygienic slaughter, and often vacuum packaging provide. Maintaining the chill chain is critical: any break lets spoilage bacteria multiply. The label distinguishes the product both from frozen meat and from traditionally hung or dry-aged meat.