Grocery stores order a lot of meat from suppliers. But if they order too much, they have to throw a lot away. Too little and they run out. So when ordering, cutting, and packaging the meat, how do grocery stores keep meat fresh?
I’ve sold tons of meat and poultry over two decades, so here’s what I know:
How do grocery stores keep meat fresh? By only cutting what’s needed for the day, and closely monitoring & logging temperatures. Once cut or ground, the risk of bacteria increases resulting in shorter shelf life. Grocery stores usually keep fresh meat for 10-14 days. However, frozen meat can last for up to 12 months.
But you might also be wondering if grocery store meat is better than that from a butcher? Or how butchers keep meat fresh? Ultimately, how safe is the meat you eat, and what are the standards that grocery stores have to follow?
So just keep reading to get answers to all your doubts.
How long do grocery stores keep meat?
Grocery stores keep meat up until their use-by date.
This can be 10-14 days, though it depends on the kind of processing. That being said, in many cases, they are stickering the meat in house; especially stores that have butchers on hand who are cutting and grinding the meat on-premises.
In those cases, they are going off of the date codes on the products they ordered from the suppliers. But they also use their eyes and nose as color and scent changes are easy to spot as well.
Ground meat won’t last long as steak as it has a higher risk of contamination. State and local laws determine what happens when they remove meat from the shelves.
If use by date is approaching fast, some grocery stores will put the meat on sale. Roasts or steaks may get turned into ground beef. Other stores may take steaks and chicken breasts that are still in date, but past their prime, and add a sauce or marinade to it.
Some grocery stores toss meat when close to expiring while others refreeze or donate it.
But, you must also be careful about buying short-dated meat on sale if you’re not planning to use it the same day.
In those cases, freezing it the day you buy it works well.
A nice thing to see in the meat case of the local grocery store earlier today. So great to have local business not only support but acknowledge the work and products of @4HSask youth. Well done @RiverbendCoop! #4H #AgMoreThanEver #LocalFood #CdnAg #WestCdnAg pic.twitter.com/gVGkiLf1Ty
— Sandy Russell 🇨🇦 (@Sandy_Russell) August 5, 2020
How do butchers keep meat fresh?
Going to a butcher shop can be intimidating.
Their display case is not as appealing as a grocery store. Many people also believe that butcher shops are inferior because they don’t inspect them as rigorously as grocery stores. Surprisingly, butchers often have better quality meat than grocery stores.
Proper meat storage is essential to prevent spoilage, so you might wonder how they keep their meat fresh.
Stores take measures to prevent contamination and spoilage of meat by strictly monitoring cooler or freezer temperatures. These are logged not only daily, but many times throughout the day.
They also limit human contact with the meat and offer custom cuts only when a customer requests one. This lowers down the risk of cross-contamination, and meat gets to age longer because the cuts are not all displayed.
Then, of course, they also have specific cutting boards, saws, and grinders for beef, chicken, pork, etc. And if they don’t have separate equipment, then the follow strict washing and sanitizer procedures when switching from one type of meat to another.
I never been so excited to but hamburger meat a t the grocery store in my life!! 🤖❤️@DonnieWahlberg @NKOTB pic.twitter.com/TuAz3V9UMB
— Melanie Fletcher (@Modeltype76) August 5, 2020
Is supermarket meat previously frozen?
Not all. Generally speaking, most grocery stores sell some frozen and some fresh meat.
The nicer and more high-end a store is, the more likely they are to have in-house butchers who cut the meat at the store. This means they will have more fresh meat and less meat that was previously frozen.
The main reason for freezing meat is to maintain freshness while they transport it to the grocery store from the supplier. Besides, frozen meat is easier and safer to deliver as the chances of spoilage and contamination are reduced, especially over long distances.
That’s one of the many reasons to look for stores that buy locally from nearby ranchers.
Before distribution to the grocery store, meat goes through a few important processes. They age it in a cooler for 10 to 14 days, though it can be longer. The longer meat is aged, the better the quality and texture.
And then, of course, aside from fresh vs frozen meat, you also have the USDA grades of beef such as Select, Choice, or Prime.
In this recent article, I examine if prime beef is worth the extra dollars we have to pay. I did a taste test (video included) where I compared 4 different types of ribeyes cooked on my Traeger.
Just click on the link to read it on my site.
How accurate is the use-by date on meat?
A grocery store will label meat based on their judgment of how long the meat can last.
It’s based on whether the meat was previously frozen. But they also take into account the date the meat arrived in their store, when it was cut or ground, as well as the color and smell.
It’s a combination of art and science, but it’s not foolproof.
Meat is labeled with use-by dates so that customers know how long it will last before going bad or losing some of its quality. This is not to say that meat can’t be contaminated before the use-by date.
With pantry items like cereal, you could probably risk eating it after the use-by date, but don’t try it with fresh meat. One must use fresh meat within two to three days of purchasing.
Only a handful of states require grocery stores to use date labeling on meat. (source)
And Federal laws on date coding don’t exist except for baby formula. (source) Because the law doesn’t make it necessary to label meat with used by dates, it might be a little tricky to choose your meat.
Ultimately, you should only purchase meat from reputable grocery stores that are transparent about their meat handling and policies.
We’ve talked a lot about beef, but what about chicken?
Check out this recent article on which grocery stores have the best chicken. I’ll compare grading, sourcing, and quality from various popular grocery stores.
Just click the link to read it on my website.
Making CHOLENT for the first time this Shabbos so today I went to Empire Kosher Supermarket in Crown Heights and picked up beef stew meat for my cholent recipe. So excited about making cholent this Shabbos!
The recipe I am using for the cholent is:https://t.co/paqxDcWtOP pic.twitter.com/BmRfNkb7Ze
— Andrea Karshan (((אֲבִיבָה אֶסְתֵּר))) (@karshanandrea) August 10, 2020
What grocery store has the best meat?
It is no secret that many grocery stores use carbon monoxide to keep their meat looking fresh for a very long time. (source)
This won’t affect the actual shelf life or risk of bacteria growth. It only affects the color, keeping that nice red color on steaks and other types of beef.
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods never uses carbon monoxide or other tricks to fool shoppers.
Their meat is about as pure as you can get. While other grocery stores can claim to have the highest quality meat, Whole Foods Market has kept its standard since the beginning.
Their 5-Step Animal Welfare program ensures that not only do they know exactly what ranches their meat and poultry come from, but also how the animals are raised and fed from birth to slaughter.
Want to learn more about Whole Foods meat versus other grocery stores?
Check out my recent article on which grocery store has the best steaks. I’ll go into details on beef grades, quality, and even how the You might not know it, but this affects meat quality and flavor.
Just click that link to read it on my site.
Publix and Kroger
Publix is most famous for fried chicken baked goods and sandwiches. On the other hand, Publix is not very transparent about their meat.
There’s very little information on their website about their meat and poultry standards; mostly fluff and talking points.
And as a consumer, this should be very concerning. Back in 2018, Publix recalled beef from 18 Florida counties due to possible E-coli contamination.
Not that all grocery chains don’t occasionally have issues with things like this. But personally, I prefer to buy meat from stores that are a little more transparent and open about suppliers, standards, and processes.
Kroger is a little more transparent.
Their website states that the simple truth organic brand is 100% grass-fed beef. The USDA certifies it, but it doesn’t speak specifically about how they raise animals despite having an “animal welfare policy”. Meat tastes better when animals are raised humanely. You can eat guilt-free, knowing the whole process was ethical.
Once again, Whole Foods comes out on top.
If you’ve never been to Whole Foods Market, you might question why shopping there is so expensive. Here’s my recent article on why Whole Foods is so costly. I’ll cover everything from pricing to quality and compare them with other top grocers.
Just click on the link to read it on my website.
Final thoughts
In this article, we covered the standard time for grocery stores keep meat.
Besides, frozen and fresh meat are stored differently and discussed them in detail. I talked about the accuracy of use-by dates and compared meat from three top grocers.
You learned how butchers store their meat and the importance of proper storage. USDA-certified, Publix, and Kroger are the best stores to buy meat from.
FAQs
Because proper meat storage is critical to preventing spoilage, you may be wondering how they keep their meat fresh. Stores strictly monitor cooler or freezer temperatures to prevent meat contamination and spoilage. These are recorded not only on a daily basis but also at various points throughout the day.
How do they keep meat red in the grocery store? ›
As much as 70% of all raw meat sold in grocery stores is treated with carbon monoxide. Yes, you read that right, carbon monoxide. The gas helps turn the meat back into a bright red color by interacting with the myoglobin in the meat.
How do butchers preserve meat? ›
Meat curing, as commonly performed in products such as ham or sausage, involves the addition of mixtures containing salt, nitrite, and other preservatives. Salt decreases the moisture in meats available to spoilage microorganisms. Nitrite prevents microorganisms from growing and retards rancidity in meats.
Why does supermarket meat last so long? ›
The food industry has worked out that keeping the meat in a sealed plastic box, flushed with high oxygen concentrations, helps to keep the red pigment stable in the muscle for twice as long as meat exposed to air.
What happens to old meat in grocery stores? ›
It doesn't all end up in the trash. Once food hits its sell-by date, many markets donate products to food banks or sell them to salvage stores.
What do they spray on meat at the grocery store? ›
It turns out that the color of meat is being manipulated by unnatural means – specifically gases like Nitrogen, CO2, and even Carbon Monoxide. Yes, that scentless, deadly gas is what they spray a large amount of store-bought, pre-packaged meat with.
What do they spray on meat to keep it red? ›
Carbon monoxide MAP artificially extends the cosmetic appearance of fresh meat. The FDA considers the use of carbon monoxide to be a color stabilizer, not a “color additive”, because it stabilizes (not changes) the typical red color of fresh meat.
What method preserves meat the longest? ›
How to Cure Meat for Long Term Storage? By using a saturation salt or equilibrium curing method, you are killing all the bacteria that can spoil the meat. These techniques lead to salt-cured meat that can be stored long term in a cool place or refrigerated.
How old is ground beef in the grocery store? ›
Many cuts of beef are aged before they're sent off to packaging and shoppers, and that means it can be nearly six weeks old by the time you add it to your grocery cart. Aging uses microbes and enzymes to break down some of the tissue, with the goal of naturally tenderizing meat.
What are the 3 common methods of meat preservation? ›
Smoking, Curing and Drying
These three techniques are all designed to in some way remove water from food, in order to stave off the growth of bacteria and slow down the degradation process. When food is smoked as a way of preservation, it is typically done with the combination of smoke and heat.
Oxygen from the air reacts with meat pigments to form a bright red color which is usually seen on the surface of meat purchased in the supermarket. The pigment responsible for the red color in meat is oxymyoglobin, a substance found in all warm-blooded animals.
What happens to unsold meat in supermarkets? ›
Butcher shops and meat departments can sell (for a very low price) their bones, fat, and other inedible meat scraps to rendering companies that will turn the unwanted waste into proteins for pet food and other industrial uses.
What's the longest you can keep meat? ›
Cold Food Storage Chart
| Food | Type | Refrigerator (40 °F or below) |
|---|
| Hamburger, ground meats and ground poultry | Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, chicken, other poultry, veal, pork, lamb, and mixtures of them | 1 to 2 days |
| Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork | Steaks | 3 to 5 days |
| Chops | 3 to 5 days |
| Roasts | 3 to 5 days |
49 more rowsSep 20, 2021
China/Hong Kong is the largest beef importing country in the world since 2018 and will be the largest by a factor of two in 2023.
What do grocery stores do with expired milk? ›
A portion of it is inevitably thrown into the garbage and ends up in landfills. But surprisingly much of it finds a second home. Some is given away to food banks, some sold to salvage stores and the rest taken by people who scrounge outside supermarkets.
What does Costco do with unsold food? ›
A landfill is the last resort. Costco re-uses some products it fails to sell, such as turning rotisserie chickens into pies, soup, and wings (per Coscto's website). Meatloaf, stuffed peppers, and shepherd's pie are all filled using unsold beef, too.
What is the pink stuff they put in meat? ›
Pink slime (also known as lean finely textured beef or LFTB, finely textured beef, or boneless lean beef trimmings or BLBT) is a meat by-product used as a food additive to ground beef and beef-based processed meats, as a filler, or to reduce the overall fat content of ground beef.
What is the fake meat called? ›
Seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when it's cooked, making it a popular meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. It is also called gluten, wheat protein, or wheat gluten.
Why is grocery store beef so red? ›
Red Meat. Fresh meat in the supermarket is red because of the pigment called "myoglobin," which stores oxygen in muscle cells. But myoglobin is only red when it is bonded to oxygen molecules. In live animals, the blood carries oxygen to the myoglobin; in freshly cut meat the oxygen comes directly from the air.
What is the best thing to spray meat with? ›
The most popular choices are apple cider vinegar, beer, and wine. But you can also use tomato juice, vegetable juice, or any type of broth. If you're looking to add some extra flavor, you can use a BBQ sauce, honey mustard, or teriyaki sauce.
Present-day meat curing practice involves the intentional addition of sodium nitrite and salt to meat. Ascorbates or erythorbates are usually incorporated as cure accelerators.
Do they put dye in ground beef? ›
The USDA uses a purple dye stamp on all cuts of meat to grade it properly and as a sign of inspection. This purple stamp is composed of a food-grade vegetable dye totally safe for human consumption.
How did they keep meat fresh without refrigeration? ›
Drying (or dehydrating) meat is a practice that's been used for thousands of years, and is still one of the most common ways of keeping meat edible. The meat is dried using heat; you can use various heat sources for this method, such as a fire, charcoal/gas grill, dehydrators, or an oven.
How can you make meat stay long without spoiling? ›
Fresh meat should be stored in a refrigerator at 40 F or below. Pay attention to "packed on" or "use by" dates to make sure you are using meat while it's fresh.
Can you eat steak after 7 days in fridge? ›
Beef, veal, lamb and pork roasts, steaks and chops may be kept 3 to 5 days. After cooking, meat, poultry and seafood can be safely stored in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days.
How old is Mcdonald's beef? ›
Our 100% beef is ground, formed into patties, and then flash frozen. Flash freezing is when beef is quickly frozen to seal in fresh flavor. From the day it was formed, it usually takes about two to three weeks until the burger is served. Quarter Pounder® with Cheese features a ¼ lb.
Do grocery stores add water to ground beef? ›
There is no added water in any fresh, unprocessed beef. Beef is washed during slaughter, but the small amount of water would be absorbed on the surface of the meat, not bound to the protein or inside the tissue and would quickly evaporate or drip out. Beef is often ground while partially frozen.
Which is older hot dog or hamburger? ›
The first printed American menu which listed hamburger was an 1826 menu from Delmonico's in New York. Many claims of the first hot dog including in 1870 on Coney Island and in 1880 on the streets of St. Louis, Missouri.
How do you make meat last for years? ›
Meat and poultry can be preserved for longer-term storage through canning, drying, or freezing.
How did people preserve meat before refrigerators? ›
Meat could be stored in the brine and packed tightly in covered jars or casks in a cool environment for months. The Washingtons had cellars in their house ideal for this purpose and the archaeological record at Ferry Farm is full of fragments of stoneware and earthenware jars – the Tupperware of their day.
Preservation of meat through freezing entails the use of low temperatures to extend a product's shelf-life, mainly by reducing the rate of microbial spoilage and deterioration reactions. Characteristics of meat that are important to be preserve include tenderness, water holding capacity, color, and flavor.
Why don't you wash red meat? ›
However, washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination.
What meat was recalled at Walmart? ›
The recall impacts approximately 120,872 pounds of ground beef that was used to make hamburger patties for several different brands, including Nature's Reserve, Thomas Farms, Weis, and Marketside.
Why is fresh hamburger brown in the middle? ›
The interior of raw ground meat may be greyish brown due to a lack of exposure to oxygen. This doesn't indicate spoilage. Nevertheless, you should throw away ground beef if it has turned either brown or gray on the outside, as this indicates that it's beginning to rot.
What does Costco do with unsold beef? ›
Costco Uses Multiple Methods To Reduce Food Waste
Costco re-uses some products it fails to sell, such as turning rotisserie chickens into pies, soup, and wings (per Coscto's website). Meatloaf, stuffed peppers, and shepherd's pie are all filled using unsold beef, too.
Why is butcher meat better than supermarket? ›
Quality. Meat from a butcher is usually sourced from local farms, making the meat fresher and the journey from the farm to your plate considerably shorter. Supermarket meat is packaged in a factory and will sit on the shelf until someone buys it or the date runs out.
Do meat stores make money? ›
The average income of a butcher shop in the United States is around $35,000 per year. This income can vary depending on the size of the butcher shop, the quality of its products, and the amount of demand for its services. In some cases, a butcher shop can make more than double this amount in one year.
Is 2 year old frozen hamburger still good? ›
Ground beef is safe indefinitely if kept frozen, but it is best if used within 4 months. Refrigerate or freeze ground beef as soon as possible after purchase. This preserves freshness and slows the growth of bacteria.
Is 2 year old frozen chicken still good? ›
If kept frozen continuously, chicken will be safe indefinitely, so after freezing, it's not important if any package dates expire. For best quality, taste and texture, keep whole raw chicken in the freezer up to one year; parts, 9 months; and giblets or ground chicken, 3 to 4 months.
Can you freeze meat for 10 years? ›
Whatever the meat — beef, chicken, pork, or fish — there's no question about it: You can safely store your food the longest in the freezer. That's because you can safely freeze meats indefinitely.
The third factor was the number of steakhouses and special events held in regards to meat. Using those factors, they found the meatiest city in the nation to be New York City.
What is the number one meat in the world? ›
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world (36%) followed by poultry (33%), beef (24%), and goats/sheep (5%).
What is the most prized beef in the world? ›
Kobe beef is considered the most expensive and sought after beef in the world, with single portions often selling for more than $200. In Japan, the cost of Kobe beef starts at about $300 per pound. In the States, it can be $50 per ounce—whereas other non-Kobe Wagyu can be half of that cost.
What milk expires the longest? ›
Organic milk lasts longer because producers use a different process to preserve it. According to the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the milk needs to stay fresh longer because organic products often have to travel farther to reach store shelves since it is not produced throughout the country.
Should you throw away expired milk? ›
While there are no set recommendations, most research suggests that as long as it's been stored properly, unopened milk generally stays good for 5–7 days past its listed date, while opened milk lasts at least 2–3 days past this date (3, 8 , 9).
How old is milk when it gets to grocery store? ›
Milk is often on the store shelves in 72 hours from the time it is picked up at the farm and usually less than a week old by the time it hits your local grocery store. Learn about the journey of milk!
What is the most sold item at Costco? ›
Toilet paper
Yes, that's right! Costco's best-selling item is its Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue. It sells more than a billion rolls every year, bringing in over $400 million dollars in revenue. Costco's toilet paper is thicker and more absorbent than most other brands.
What does Trader Joe's do with unsold food? ›
As a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores, we are proud to donate 100% of products that go unsold but remain fit to be enjoyed to local food recovery organizations, in addition to a wide-range of community-based non-profit partners, seven days a week.
Does Costco let you eat without membership? ›
You do need a membership to use the food court
Sadly, this is no longer true for non-members. Since early 2020, Costco has required a membership card to buy anything at the food court, including chicken bakes, barbecue beef brisket sandwiches, ice cream and churros.
Does meat in grocery store still have blood in it? ›
Even the rarest and reddest of steaks is actually bloodless. Instead, what you're looking at is a combination of water, which makes up about 75 per cent of meat, and a protein found in muscle tissue called myoglobin.
When purchasing red meat, including steaks, many grocery shoppers often find red liquid in the bottom of the packaging, which you probably assumed was blood. It turns out, it's not actually blood, but rather a protein called myoglobin, according to Buzzfeed.
How does meat get its red color? ›
Myoglobin is the heme iron containing protein that gives meat its color, and it is a great source of dietary iron. Myoglobin stores oxygen in muscle cells and is similar to hemoglobin that stores oxygen in blood cells. The more myoglobin content meat contains the darker red it will appear in color.
What gas is used to keep meat red? ›
Myth: Carbon monoxide is a color additive requiring FDA to regulate it as such. Fact: Carbon monoxide is a color stabilizer that maintains the typical red color of fresh meat when the gas mixture is applied to the package.
What is the fake blood in meat? ›
The ingredient is also referred to as genetically engineered “heme,” soy leghemoglobin. It is the color additive Impossible Foods uses to make its plant-based burger appear to “bleed” as if it were beef.
Do they drain all blood out of meat? ›
Nearly all of the blood is drained from a carcass within the first few minutes of the harvest process. Myoglobin is the heme-iron containing protein found in muscle that stores oxygen and gives meat its color. There is actually a lot of protein content and beneficial nutrients in this liquid.
Can you eat steak with blood coming out? ›
To conclude
The myth is now debunked. The red liquid inside a red meat isn't blood. You can now enjoy a delicious rare or medium rare steak without being disgusted by "blood".
How old is the meat in the supermarket? ›
Meat goes through a few important processes before it is distributed to grocery stores. It is aged in a cooler for 10 to 14 days, but this can be extended. The longer the meat is aged, the higher its quality and texture.
Is it blood that comes out of rare beef? ›
The red you see in this meat is actually not blood, but mostly fat, water, and myoglobin. This is is a protein that causes the red coloring in meat. Even when served rare, a quality cut of meat that has been properly cleaned and drained should have hardly any blood in it.
Is human meat red or white when cooked? ›
Even if you have no desire to eat the flesh of fellow humans, it's not so uncommon to wonder from time to time what human flesh looks and tastes like. io9 recently took up the first question and explained that human flesh firmly falls into the red meat camp.
Why is white meat healthier? ›
White meat is preferred over dark meat because it contains low-fat, high protein, and fewer calories. In addition, white meat is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They help reduce the levels of LDL and increase the levels of HDL. It is also beneficial for heart health and is easier to digest.
When meat is fresh and protected from contact with air (such as in vacuum sealed packages), it has the purple-red color that comes from myoglobin, one of the two key pigments responsible for the color of meat.
Why is Aldi's meat so red? ›
Red Meat. Fresh meat in the supermarket is red because of the pigment called "myoglobin," which stores oxygen in muscle cells. But myoglobin is only red when it is bonded to oxygen molecules.
Do they dye hamburger meat? ›
The USDA uses a purple dye stamp on all cuts of meat to grade it properly and as a sign of inspection. This purple stamp is composed of a food-grade vegetable dye totally safe for human consumption.
What chemical in red meat is bad for you? ›
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a dietary byproduct that is formed by gut bacteria during digestion. The chemical is derived in part from nutrients that are abundant in red meat. High saturated fat levels in red meat have long been known to contribute to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
