Is meat dyed red so it looks more appealing?

Question

My friend told me that red meats, like steak, are dyed red so they look more appitising. I told her that the idea sounds crazy and she tried to give me proof by pointing out that meat turns from red to brown when you cook it because "the dye runs out". I asked her what color the meat is before being dyed red and she said it is red and they dye it the same color because it looks better. And also that those spots of gray you sometimes see on steak are places where the dye has "missed". I'd really like to know if this is all true.

Answer 1

yes it is. carbon dioxide is the process they use. so actually it's not dyed, but it is turned red to look better

Answer 2

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RE:
Is meat dyed red so it looks more appealing?
My friend told me that red meats, like steak, are dyed red so they look more appitising. I told her that the idea sounds crazy and she tried to give me proof by pointing out that meat turns from red to brown when you cook it because "the dye runs out". I asked her what color the meat is...

Answer 3

Walmart is the worst for this. They don't use an actual dye but some chemical that makes the outside of the meat keep its healthy fresh red appearance. Then when you get it home and cut it open it is all grey and smelly!! Gross!! Pay a little more and go to a gourmet meat shop in your area.

Answer 4

As answered by another, it depends on what kind of meat you're asking about. I have worked in a meat department for 40 years. Most beef is unaltered. Most pork is now injected with a 17% solution of salt water.

Answer 5

I guess you meant raw meat... Hmmm.. There's this book, its called the Jungle. Its about meat packers in the 1900s. They would use all kinds of dyes and chemicals to make meat, including rotten meat, look more appetizing. Though many of the practices back then are now outlawed in the U.S., if you are from the U.S., I would not be surprised if the practice still goes on today.

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In Canada they use a carbon dioxide process to keep the meat a certain color. its not really coloring it, more like preserving a state of color while its cooked. Like squeezing lemon juice on apple slices to keep them from turning brown.

They do this because there is a law where all meat must be thoroughly cooked. So when you order your steak done medium-rare, its more like you are ordering a color rather than the way its cooked.

Answer 6

I know that SafeWay Groceries adds food coloring to their Salmon steaks, they are required by law to advertise it on the package. So it would be no surprise if the same is done to meat. As for the red turning grey, that's what happens to blood when it's cooked.

Answer 7

It is not dyed. Meat turns brown when exposed to oxygen. That's why the outside of your raw meat is darker than when you cut into it.

If she's so smart, ask her where the red dye goes after it "runs out". If she says "into the pan" try pointing out that if you cook that juice, it will turn brown...just like the meat.

Answer 8

No, meat is not dyed. But some meat distributors do pump oxygen into the meat, which helps it to stay redder longer.
The gray spots are spots that have been de-oxidized faster than the surrounding meat.

Answer 9

I used to be a meat cutter and no they don't put dye in the meat. What happens is when it is cut, it is cut in a cold room and then packaged. The longer it sits in the cold air, the redder it gets. If the meat is stacked on top of eachother, it will turn brown if it is beef and green if it is pork.

Answer 10

The meat changes color as it oxidizes (breaks down in the presence of oxygen) from red to brown, just as blood changes from red to brown when it dries.

Some processed meats do use food coloring - if you want to know if yours has been colored, look on the packaging.

Answer 11

I work in a deli and i can tell you that meat is not dyed any color.
Salmon on the other hand is, but nothing like steaks or anything.