# Meat diapers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-diapers/477065 "2008-12-13T23:29:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-diapers/477065/21 "2008-12-15T03:33:47Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Sorry, but the last sentence makes no sense. If it’s leached out, it’s not part of the food any more. > > And it was exactly the ‘soggy’ that I was complaining about. Yes, they don’t count the weight of the DRY paper and plastic tray. But nowadays there is way more blood/liquid leaching out of the meat than used to after it was packaged. It used to be that the foam tray would have a thin coat of ooze when you took the meat out, and no absorbent pads. Now you get those pads, almost always soaked. You could wring at least a quarter cup of ooze out of those pads. > > There’s been some change in how meats are processed/how long they hang to drain/whatever. Maybe it’s as simple as the meat being cut and packaged at the remote processing plant versus extra draining time while the larger chunks are shipped to the local store for final cutting and packaging. Which is why they now have to use the pad when before they didn’t. The consumer is paying for the ooze at meat prices when before they didn’t. > > It may be related to the way whole chickens are now labeled with ‘can contain up to 10% additional water by weight’ from processing. :rolleyes: > > Neither of these add much to what the individual purchaser pays – an extra ounce or two of weight they get charged for, but adds up to a nice little bonus for the store. What you are saying only makes sense if the price/lb. never changed or was “fixed” by some entity. The processor and retailer are operating on profit margins and the grocery business is very competitive. They can raise or lower the price by $.10/lb and hardly anybody notices. Prices of meat fluctuate radically usually due to supply and demand of the meat. Packaging costs are much more predictable. When buying steak at $11/lb. why worry about the fact that when it was packaged it looked a little better and stayed fresher longer through better packaging at a cost of a few nickles. If the price gets so high that people quit buying they start putting the stuff on sale. It’s not like they have their thumb on the scale. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-diapers/477065/22 "2008-12-15T04:06:27Z")
I was thinking they were for guys who masturbate a lot, and don’t want the stain to show through their britches.😛 Q ---
**Author:** ![Gorgonzola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e480ec/32.png) [@Gorgonzola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgonzola)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-diapers/477065/23 "2008-12-15T05:41:19Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > I was thinking they were for guys who masturbate a lot, and don’t want the stain to show through their britches.😛 > > Q You’re right. It’s for [these](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4) guys. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-diapers/477065/24 "2008-12-15T05:50:00Z")
I thought meat was flash frozen before packaging? ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-diapers/477065/25 "2008-12-15T07:54:05Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > But it WAS part of the meat when it was packaged and weighed. It’s not that they packaged the meat and then added juice to bring up the weight. I think the point that Starving was making (and which I agree with) is that poorly drained meat can be seen as roughly equivalent to injecting meat with water to up the weight. One difference between a good butcher and a bad butcher is the ability to age and drain a carcass just right. By not draining the carcass enough, the butcher leaves fluids in the meat which will increase the weight and which will either drain away during prep, or cook away. When all is said and done, you’re paying more money because it weighs more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-diapers/477065.md?page=1)