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Global current demands of foods have led to increasingly stringent requirements in the efficient management of hygienic-sanitary and cold chain standards/procedures of perishable foods to ensure food safety. The aim of this study was to determine the hygienic-sanitary and the cold chain standards applied to ground beef by four retail food stores located in the state of Mexico, Mexico, during fall and winter. Hygienic-sanitary and cold chain conditions were monitored by on-site inspection; temperature readings were taken at three positions within open refrigerated displays. Hygienic-sanitary features were not subjected to statistical analysis, temperature readings were statistically analyzed with retail store, season and position within the rack as sources of variation. All four stores need to improve their hygienic-sanitary ranks, mainly in the employees' protective clothes. Stores showed no difference (p>0.05) in temperature within displays, all registered mean temperatures above 4°C. Temperature was different (p≤0.05) among positions within the rack, rear position showed a mean temperature of 3.8°C, up to three degrees lower than the front position. Winter season registered a mean temperature around 3°C, almost five degrees lower than fall. It was concluded that all four stores need to improve the hygienic-sanitary and temperature control to have packaged ground beef with higher food safety.