ABSTRACT
Reindeer meat is a high-quality product that is also attractive to the health-conscious consumer for its low fat content, favourable fat composition, and high mineral content. The New Zealand Deer Industry, together with the venison processing companies, has developed good protocols for processing, hygiene, handling, packaging and storage. Meat is the main product for the reindeer industry, and to maximize meat production it is crucial to align the numbers of reindeer to the available grazing resources. Domestic reindeer were introduced to Alaska from Siberia, Russia in 1892 to establish a predictable meat source and economic development for Alaskan Natives. In the early 1980s, some published studies focused on pre-slaughter handling and stress. Feeding reindeer commercial feed mixtures or letting them graze on good pastures will positively affect the animal’s body condition and increase muscle glycogen stores, and thereby give meat pH values in the optimal range for good meat quality.
