Abstract: Meat products are chilled to the extent that water present therein is frozen in order to facilitate slicing, subsequent processing, packaging or other handling of the meat products. The chilling is carried out in sequential steps. The first chilling step contacts the product with a brine of sodium chloride at a temperature below the freezing point of water. The resulting prechilled food product is subjected to a second chilling step with a calcium chloride brine which is at a lower temperature than the sodium chloride brine and which further reduces the core temperature of the food product to well below the freezing point of water.