# What determines whether an animal produces white meat or red meat?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 15, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116 "2010-01-15T20:03:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/21 "2010-01-17T02:12:51Z")

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What about mutton and lamb? I’d say red.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/22 "2010-01-17T02:28:16Z")

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> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#):
>
> What about mutton and lamb? I’d say red.

Yes, lamb and mutton are definitely red meat.

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/23 "2010-01-18T15:38:38Z")

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All meat from livestock is considered “red meat” by USDA. Pork, veal, and “dark meat” from poultry all contain roughly the same amount of myoglobin; this is about half what is found in beef, and several times what is found in poultry “white meat.”

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**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/24 "2010-01-19T05:46:38Z")

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From [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1295/why-is-white-meat-white-and-dark-meat-dark) about 12 years ago  
And [my related staff report](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1799/are-manatees-white-meat-or-dark-meat)from about 10 years ago

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