We were just at the grocery store, and there was an unusually small selection of meats. Most of what they had in stock had stickers on the packages, stating $1 to $4 off, “Manager’s Special!” All the meat in these packages had green spots all over it. Doesn’t this mean that the meat is starting to decompose? Isn’t that bad for you? Why would anyone buy it? Just the sight of it was enough to make me retch.
Does anybody know about green spots on meat, and whether it’s safe?
Either it was stamped in green ink by the inspectors, or you need to shop someplace else.
Roast beef can look kind of weird when it’s marinated with brandy. Gets a kind of opalescent sheen to it which might look green in some light.
No, what I saw was regular red beef with areas that were sort of a sage green developing in different spots all over the surface. Who knows what was going on underneath… I wasn’t willing to find out.
OK, call the Health Department.
And…shop elsewhere!!! :eek:
This was an Albertson’s, a national chain that goes by different names in different areas of the country. No worry, though, we usually buy our meat at Publix.
It’s not rancid, it’s “aged”.
I hate the packages of ground beef with the carbon monoxide inside. The beef looks nice and pink on the outside but when you break it up to brown it, it doesn’t look so hot on the inside. A few weeks ago I saw a package of such with a sell by date two weeks in the future :eek:
You may be right, but I would think that if they were selling “aged” steaks and roasts, it would say so on the package, and the price would be higher. I swear it looked like meat that had passed its sell-by date (I didn’t check), and was going bad so they marked the price down to get rid of it. I hope I’m wrong, because that would seem to be blatant disregard for the health of their customers. It looked wholly inedible to me.
Beef bought as ground or cubed meat, or cheaper cuts for casseroles, etc, should be red when you buy it. With better cuts, if it’s bright red, it means it hasn’t been aged properly and will lack flavour and may be difficult to cook without turning tough. Properly aged beef should be dark red - almost red-brown. Greenish tinges aren’t unusual (and often, they only appear vivid green because of the contrast against the bright red meat elsewhere on the shelves, or the red packaging, or the store lighting (which is often specifically tailored to make the food look how we collectively think it should).
There’s probably nothing wrong at all with the beef you describe.
I agree that there is probably nothing wrong with the meat you describe. They probably just didn’t treat it with carbon monoxide or something. The reason they treat meat with carbon monoxide, is because people like you think anything other than bright red is bad meat.
The smell is what counts.
ETA: There is absolutely nothing unsafe or unhealthy about carbon monoxide treated meat.
The reason they reduced the price and are calling it a “Manager’s Special” is because it’s about to pass the sell by date. Probably on the same day you’re looking at it. If you ask about it, they will tell you to cook it that day.
It’s turning green because it’s spoiling. Bacteria, probably.
Not likely. I would guess turning green because the iron is changing it’s coordination environment by losing Oxygen or CO if it was treated. I’ll accept a cite though.
Here is a definitive article about this topic by a food scientist. Excerpt:
However, he doesn’t say anything about green meat. :dubious:
I agree that literally green meat is wrong. I just think that the lighting may have been making it look more green than it actually was. There is no condition that I know of that would lead to genuinely green meat. Spoiled meat doesn’t look green it just smells bad. I would be similarly suprised if I genuinely saw green meat. I would not buy green meat. I can’t imagine that a store would let truly green meat be on the shelf.
Unless of course we’re talking about eggs and ham. Green eggs and ham are quite delicious. 
(Unless it was eggs and ham)
Sure, Christopher. Perhaps you would like to return the favor. I’ll accept a cite from you, too. About the above and about this, if you would be so kind:
Although I am certainly no expert on this topic, especially considering I no longer eat meat, it’s my understanding that there are a lot of people concerned about treating meat with CO. A designation of GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) doesn’t really inspire a lot of confidence in me, given that the FDA has not conducted its own tests on this practice. Additionally, people are concerned about the fact that treatment with CO prevents color change in the meat.
In any event, I can’t believe that we are actually having a discussion about eating meat that is TURNING GREEN. Why is it so hard to believe the meat might be going bad? Although I do agree, it may not be bacteria. It could be mold.
I have seen exactly what fishbicycle is talking about many times. In two stores I used to frequent, they would take meat that was about to pass the sell by date, put big stickers on it that said “Manager’s Special” and reduce the price. When I asked about it once, they said to make sure to cook it right away. I did do that a few times. But never, never, did I buy any of the ones that were turning green. After all, you can’t open the package to smell it, so how could you know for sure what exactly was happening to it. Meat does spoil, does it not?
Anyway, for your reading pleasure…
Meat
More meat.
I think the Eskimos have a word for colorful meat that has been buried for months and then dug up.
The change in color has nothing to do with bacteria. Meat will smell so bad it’ll make you vomit (and it wont be on the shelf) before you actually SEE the bacteria. As CookingWithGas has clearly demonstrated freshness is not indicated by color of the meat. I also noticed that the people objecting to CO use were saying that it prevented them from judging the freshness from the color, not that it was toxic. If they want to pay the premium for their steaks than thats up to them. Those Seattlites don’t know the first thing about a good steak, they should stick with salmon.
I’m not the one making the claim that you can see bacteria. I’m just silly little chemist that knows a thing or two about coordination chemistry.
My mistake, that was the Washington Post so I shouldn’t have said anything about Seattlites.
Hey, take it up with the Perdue University Animal Sciences Department. I’m just the messenger. If you don’t believe that mold or bacteria can turn meat green, as they have so kindly informed the public, talk to them.
You asked me for a cite and I gave you one. Three, actually. And, you’re welcome.
Correct. That’s what I said, too. In my last post. So we agree on something.