beef its whats for dinner or is it?

Question

can anyone tell me why beef like hamburgh or steaks last longer on a store shelf than in your fridge is it the light? they are in light at the store and in the dark in your fridge. tell me why.

Answer 1

I'm a butcher by trade. I can honestly say that everyone on this page, with the exception of Carlos, is touched in the head. We don't rotate meat back to the freezer and it has nothing to do with light. The cold counters the meat is in tend to be the same temperature as the cooler (not freezer) that it came from, so rotating it in and out of there would be pointless. The thing that changes the color of the meat is the air, not the light. Also the longer a piece of meat sits around, whether it's in your fridge, the counter or the cooler, the more it deteriorates. The meat in the butcher's counter tends to be there for no longer than 2 or 3 days at tops before some one takes it home. Then it sits in your fridge and darkens even more. If your fridge is warmer than 34 degrees it will darken even faster, plus you have to take into account the fact that the meat will warm up with the rest of your groceries on the way home which will increase the bacteria count even further. The counter is constantly being replenished with fresh meat, giving the sales counter a fresh, appetizing appearance. The older meat gets discounted so as to increase the likelihood that it will sell, again bettering the appearance of the counter. Buy your meat the day you plan to eat it and get it in your fridge as quickly as you can and you won't have to worry about it getting dark.

Answer 2

Improving Shelf Life of Beef
Oklahoma State University animal scientists have found that meat from beef cattle fed supplemental vitamin E in their finishing rations holds its bright-red, fresh appearance longer. Consumers like that, and so does the beef industry--because the meat ends up with a longer retail shelf-life. The vitamin E contributes to the stabilization of the meat color pigments.

its just that by the time we get it......its been some time.

Answer 3

Well, of course it's newer in the store than in your fridge. If I buy meat, I try to use it that within a day, or two at the most. Otherwise, it goes into the freezer. I don't think the light being out has anything to do with it.

And are you SURE that light really goes out?

Answer 4

Unfortunately it's "Wasabi flavored peas" for dinner tonight, instead of beef. SIGH!

I think beef seems to last longer in the store because the decay has not yet accelerated by the time someone buys it. Thus they have the "drop dead" or "sell by" date. It's possible some stores have UV light which can kill bacteria.

Answer 5

In the store shelf they dont last as long as you think. In my grocery store they change them like everyday or every two days

Answer 6

THE PRODUCT IS CONSTANTLY ROTATED TO AND FROM THE FREEZER , TO KEEP THE BACT-LEVEL LOW !! (HANG AROUND WHILE THE STOCK-PERSON,ARRANGES AND SHUFFLES THE DISPLAY !!)

Answer 7

I don't know if that's even true.