Venison: Meat from red deer (Cervus elaphus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)

Abstract

• Venison (deer meat) attracts a premium price relative to meats from other species due to its image among consumers as a safe, nutritious, palatable, and natural product. The red deer and reindeer industries must protect this image and the unique qualities of venison in their farming and processing practices. Thus, focus on consumer demands in both domestic and export markets is essential. • The slaughter, boning, and processing of carcasses from farmed red deer in New Zealand and semi-domestic reindeer in Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, and Finland) are performed at facilities specifically designed for deer but include the technologies developed for the commercial processing of other species of meat animals. • There are inherent differences between venison and other red meats in terms of its rate of tenderization and loss of red color; thus, species-specific tailoring of process inputs are required by the meat industries to optimize the overall quality of these meats.