Delivery & Care

Exceptional Wagyu deserves thoughtful care.

Your Ito Matsusaka Wagyu is shipped frozen in sealed, vacuum-skin packaging, protected inside an insulated foam cooler with dry ice and a sturdy outer carton. Please arrange prompt receipt and follow the instructions below to care for your order from delivery to preparation.

IMPORTANT: PERISHABLE RAW BEEF + DRY ICE

Open promptly in a well-ventilated area. Never touch dry ice with bare hands. Read the dry-ice warning before unpacking, check the food on arrival, and transfer it promptly to your freezer or refrigerator.

Shipping & Delivery

We ship from San Gabriel, California, to eligible street addresses in the contiguous 48 United States and the District of Columbia. We do not ship internationally, to Alaska, Hawaii or U.S. territories, or to P.O. boxes.

Orders open Friday at 12 p.m. Pacific and close at the end of Sunday, or earlier if sold out. Orders ship on Wednesday or Thursday. Available UPS next-day options and their prices are shown at checkout. The UPS delivery commitment depends on your destination. We send tracking information when your order ships.

Next-day service describes transit after dispatch, not delivery the day after you order. Shipping days may be adjusted to avoid weekends, holidays, severe weather or service disruptions. Allow additional time after delivery for refrigerator thawing, especially when ordering for a special occasion.

If we cannot dispatch within the promised timeframe, we will notify you and provide the applicable option to accept a revised shipping date or cancel the unshipped order for a refund. If a shipment already in transit is delayed, contact us so we can assist; follow the arrival checks below when it is delivered.

Provide a complete address, including unit and access details. Monitor tracking and arrange for someone to retrieve the package promptly. For gifts, tell the recipient that a perishable delivery is expected. Contact us before requesting an address change or carrier hold.

When Your Order Arrives

Unpack promptly and inspect every meat package. If the beef is not clearly frozen, check the food itself with a clean food thermometer. The cooler temperature, remaining dry ice and how cold the package feels are not substitutes for checking the food.

Frozen or partially frozen with ice crystals: Transfer the meat to your freezer, or place it in the refrigerator to begin thawing.

Thawed but at 40°F / 4°C or below: Refrigerate promptly and follow the product label. Properly handled beef that is still this cold may also be refrozen, although quality can be affected. Contact us with any arrival concerns.

Above 40°F / 4°C on arrival: Do not eat or taste the meat. Photograph the condition and temperature when practical, contact us promptly, and discard unsafe food. Do not try to rescue questionable meat by refreezing it.

Do not consume meat from a leaking, swollen or opened package, or a package with a broken seal, without contacting us for guidance. When safety is uncertain, do not eat it. Appearance and smell alone cannot establish that food is safe.

Important Dry-Ice Warning

Dry ice can cause severe cold burns. Its carbon dioxide gas can accumulate in enclosed spaces and create a suffocation hazard.

Unpack in a well-ventilated location. Never handle dry ice with bare hands. When handling is necessary, use insulated gloves designed for very cold temperatures, eye protection and suitable tools. Keep children and pets away. Never eat dry ice or put it in drinks.

Never seal dry ice inside an airtight container; pressure can build and the container can rupture. Leave remaining dry ice in its open or vented insulated container in a secure, well-ventilated location, inaccessible to children, pets and others, until it has completely changed into gas.

Do not put dry ice in a sink, toilet, drain or trash container. Move only the food into your refrigerator or freezer, not the shipping cooler containing dry ice. Do not keep dry ice in a refrigerator, freezer, closed vehicle or other enclosed, poorly ventilated space.

No dry ice remaining? Dry ice naturally turns into gas during transit. Its absence alone does not establish food safety. Check the condition and temperature of the food using the arrival instructions above.

Storing Your Wagyu

Not preparing it soon? Keep the original packaging sealed and store the beef in a freezer at 0°F / -18°C or below.

Preparing it for an upcoming meal? Place the sealed package on a tray on a lower refrigerator shelf, away from ready-to-eat foods. Keep your refrigerator at 40°F / 4°C or below.

Follow the storage and date instructions on your product label, including any shorter limits. USDA generally allows 3-5 days for steaks and roasts after safe refrigerator thawing. For thinly sliced portions and included sauces, follow their specific label instructions and prepare promptly. Do not apply a steak storage period to a different product.

Thawing Your Wagyu

Preferred method: in the refrigerator

Keep the beef sealed unless its label directs otherwise, and thaw it on a tray in the refrigerator. Plan about 24 hours for steaks; larger or thicker packages can need 48 hours or longer. Timing depends on the package and refrigerator. A frozen order arriving in the morning may not be ready for dinner that evening.

Same-day alternative: in cold water

Place the sealed package in an additional leakproof food-storage bag. Submerge it in cold tap water and replace the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing. Do not use warm or hot water.

Never thaw Wagyu on a kitchen counter, outdoors or in a vehicle. The outside can become too warm while the middle is still frozen. Beef thawed safely in the refrigerator can be refrozen, with possible quality loss. Beef thawed in cold water must be cooked before refreezing.

Before Cooking

Keep thawed Wagyu chilled until your cooking equipment is ready. Open, prepare and cook it without a routine one-hour countertop rest. Remove all retail packaging before cooking.

Keep preparation time outside refrigeration brief. Discard perishable food left at room temperature for more than two hours, or more than one hour when the surrounding temperature is above 90°F / 32°C. These are maximum exposure limits, not recommended thawing or resting times.

Raw-Meat & Cooking Safety

Our beef is raw and is not ready to eat. Wash hands, utensils and work surfaces after contact with raw meat, and keep raw beef and its juices separate from cooked and ready-to-eat foods.

For beef steaks and roasts, USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F / 63°C, measured with a food thermometer, followed by a three-minute rest before eating. Follow any additional product-specific cooking instructions.

Eating raw or undercooked meat increases the risk of foodborne illness. Children under five, adults 65 and older, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of serious illness and should avoid raw or undercooked meat.

Packaging, Color & Product Questions

Vacuum-packaged beef may look burgundy, darker red or purplish because it has limited contact with oxygen. Its color can brighten after opening. Color changes alone do not establish safety or spoilage; follow the temperature, seal and handling checks above.

For questions about the appearance of your order, contact us before preparing it. For cut-specific preparation, visit our Preparation page or use the guide provided with your order.

Sauces, Seasonings & Allergies

When your selection includes Chef Keiji Matoba's house-made sauces or seasonings, follow each item's separate ingredient, allergen, storage and date instructions. Do not assume a sauce is shelf-stable or that it has the same storage requirements as beef.

Read all ingredient and allergen labels before use. Contact us before ordering with ingredient questions. Do not consume a product when you are unsure whether it is suitable for your allergy.

Delivery Concerns

For temperature concerns, damaged packaging, missing items or an incorrect order, please contact us promptly, preferably within 24 hours of delivery. Include your order number and, where available, photographs of the carton, affected product, label and thermometer reading.

Do not delay safe storage while taking photographs, and do not keep unsafe food while waiting for a reply. Photograph it when practical, then discard it safely. The preferred 24-hour reporting period helps us investigate; it does not waive your legal rights or prevent you from reporting a concern discovered later.

Returns, Refunds & Customer Responsibilities

Because our products are perishable, we do not accept change-of-mind returns after shipment. Do not send food back unless we specifically instruct you to do so. Contact us promptly about a cancellation or order change; we will confirm what can be changed before dispatch.

This does not prevent a remedy for an order that arrives unsafe, damaged or incorrect. We review the circumstances and arrange an appropriate refund, replacement or other remedy when warranted or required by law.

We may decline discretionary refunds or replacements for a loss caused solely by an incorrect customer-provided address, a customer-requested delivery change, or failure to promptly retrieve and properly store an otherwise correctly delivered order. This does not limit remedies for problems that existed on arrival or responsibilities we cannot lawfully exclude.

Nothing in this policy excludes or limits consumer rights or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.