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Oxidized meat isn't rotten or stinky. It just means it wasn't sealed right or fast enough before it went to the shelf allowing oxygen to get at the meat and turn it a bit brown rather then red.
If you see green or a lot of grey then the meat may not in fact be safe to eat.
Just putting this out there for those who rely on discounted meats ❤
Also, pre seasoned, in store marinades are where you need to worry most. That's what they do with the meat that's not pretty anymore so when/if those get discounted... just be careful...
30-year butcher here. If it was pork or chicken that was that discolored you definitely want to stay away. That's an inside round roast that has oxidized. It's should still be fine.
The fact is that as much as 70 percent of meat sold in stores is treated with carbon monoxide to keep the meat a deceptively fresh looking red color. It isn’t normally that way. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-supermarket-meat-is-always-unnaturally-red/
You know what might be helpful... and you don't have to; but this is just an idea...
Maybe making a post here (on this sub) about good meats and bad meats so that people can know what they're looking for and what to avoid when shopping discounts.
I don't know if you have the time/desire to do that; but I don't have the field of knowledge to do so accurately myself.
Obviously bad meats are easier to spot then the stuff which has just started to turn if you know what I mean.
Yeah, I always laugh when I buy beef at a discount because it's been aged an extra day. Most people pay extra for that.
That said, this roast is very gray, and even I would think twice and give it the sniff test ;)
No: Myoglobin.
Meat starts burgundy then turns bright red very quickly when the myoglobin exposed to oxygen.
It will stay red for like a week then continued oxidation starts turning it brown and grey.
If you get ground beef that's red on the inside and brown inside that's fine because that inside meat **isn't** oxidized.
Leave it out for 15 minutes and it should turn redder
Beef that is going brown grey on the outside and it's not happening in a controlled environment means it's starting to go bad or might already be unsafe. Do not buy it because it's tough to tell for sure if it's bad through the packaging.
Roasts aren't aged, nor should they be. That's like aging ground beef. Exposed surfaces get rolled up inside and the clock is now ticking
If this beef isn't already bad it's 11:59 on the clock. 50% off is not worth it
Do not buy grey roasts, ground beef \* or any other meat that isn't a solid piece of meat.
\* In theory you can buy unoxidized ground beef but no stores sell it that way so not really worth mentioning
While the article sprinkles some truth in there to make it seem all true, as a whole, and the particular premise that product is treated with carbon monoxide is extremely wrong.
Source: actually manage one of the facilities that supplies case ready meat for supermarkets.
EDIT: MAP packaging is predominantly nitrogen. Carbon monoxide, while present, is less than 0.1%. MAP is only used on lidstock trays, those trays that are made of plastic and are deeper, not the styrofoam ones.
The large majority of meat sold at supermarkets in North America is actually hi-ox, where the bags where the meat gets delivered to the supermarkets is pumped with a high oxigen mix which actually prevents oxidation until the bag's atmosphere reflects natural ratios.
It’s not dye, it’s often from nitrogen(I think that’s the gas they use) that they use to brighten the meat. It’s why ground beef at big box stores is red/pink instead of a more natural brown.
It's not nitrogen, it's oxygen and it's fucking normal.
Oxygen makes myoglobin turn bright red after like 15 minutes of exposure. Continued oxidation breaks that down further and it starts to go grey brown.
The reason ground beef is often red outside and brownish inside is due to a lack of oxygen reaching that internal mass, not some sort of industrial treatment to the outside.
If nitrogen is being used it's to displace the oxygen to slow down the oxidation. It's not making it red, it's keeping it red.
It is red because it's fresh, partially due to effective packaging.
If it's no longer red it's starting to oxidize. That doesn't mean it's bad but, depending on the cut of meat, it can be a sign to stay away.
Do not buy roasts or ground beef that's grey on the outside (opaque ground beef tubes potentially excluded but you probably shouldn't buy those for other reasons). Basically any form of beef that could allow bacteria to form deep inside of the meat due to processing.
Redditors are mixing up their facts. Steaks that aren't red are fine. Roasts that aren't red are **not**
That’s a lot of effort to convince someone who agrees with you.
They use nitrogen in ground beef at the very least to maintain the bright colour. I am unsure about full cuts of beef.
Regardless, we agree.
Edit - oh nvm, I didn’t bother finishing your short novel. Roasts turning brown are perfectly fine, but you do you.
Well either way, you were very close.
The reason why brown steaks are ok is the same reason why brown roasts are ok and why ground beef is not quite as ok(not that brown beef is spoiled anyway). When you grind the beef you mix in all that surface area that has bacteria.
This is also why(at least where I live) you generally cannot order a burger that isn’t at least medium well, but you can order a steak blu rare. Because when you cook a steak(or roast) the surface area is sterilized by the heat, but a burger has bacteria all the way through.
It is aged. I have seen some ads where the stores boast their meat is “aged to perfection“ before selling.
https://meatnbone.com/blogs/the-clever-cleaver/what-is-aged-beef-understanding
The fact is that as much as 70 percent of meat sold in stores is treated with carbon monoxide to keep the meat a deceptively fresh looking bright red color.
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-supermarket-meat-is-always-unnaturally-red/
Do not listen to this Redditor.
Steaks are aged
Roasts aren't aged.
Ground beef isn't aged.
And there are very very good reasons for this.
This roast should not be for sale in this condition. This looks like it could already make someone sick
Butcher here. That roast is fine. Probably won't be in a few days but it looks absolutely fine in this photo. When in doubt go with the date on the package (assuming no date changing flickering is happening)
Whole Beef cuts in particular are generally fine right up to the bb date.
The user took the photo on the expiry date.
People don't usually fully cook roasts, which are not solid cuts of meat
I fail to see how this is at all okay given how misinformed the general public is when it comes to food safety
Expiry date and best before date are not synonymous. The user above was being sarcastic and was making fun of your panic. Even the government of Canada's food safety guide specifically says this about best before dates:
"Best before dates are not indicators of food safety, neither before nor after the date. You can buy and eat foods after the best before date has passed. However, after this date has passed, the food may lose some of its freshness, flavour, and nutritional value. Its texture may have also changed."
Source: "[https://inspection.canada.ca/food-labels/labelling/consumers/understanding-the-date-labels-on-your-food/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633](https://inspection.canada.ca/food-labels/labelling/consumers/understanding-the-date-labels-on-your-food/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633)"
Grey beef is fine so long as it passes the sniff test. The 50% off discount is also totally fine here. If someone bought this and it was indeed not fit to eat, they would be reimbursed, but as actual experts have said repeatedly in this thread, it's fine.
So if a butcher..25yrs…. Meat is not red. Meat is brown. Blood turns red and meat is red from it. When you break down beef it turns red after sitting on counter. Once it “drains” and oxidizes it’s brown. Most expensive meats are dry aged hung up and turned whole bunch of colors carved out and you have beautiful meat inside that piece is far from rotten. It’s just not picture perfect according to marketing practices and people have no fucking idea what they’re talking about.
What kind of meat have you aged?
Have you ever aged a roast?
Have you ever aged ground beef?
If you don't know why you can age one and not the other then your 25 years as a butcher means nothing
If it doesn’t look like an add they have seen in a magazine they claim it’s off and call the health authority.
People are incredibly disconnected from their food. Has anyone ever been up north to the territories where food has to get flown in? The meat actually goes slightly green (beef) but you can still eat it once cooked past a certain temperature.
Lots of beef is dry aged, has anyone seen that? FFS,
Inform your local health unit about spoiled foods being sold…they account to government too. Better business bureau, local media, social media blasts. I am sure there are a few more agencies that can do something about it. If not drop it off on a dry goods shelf, they will have to dispose of it
Agreed. People don’t understand what meat actually looks like vs what they’ve been conditioned to believe it should look like. This is sold within best before date and prob isn’t rotten or stinky. People need to inform themselves.
I am in no way advocating for this dumpster fire of a company, but I do however advocate for proper research and intelligence if you want to comment on how meat should look.
You should not be downvoted.
They should put a little scratch and sniff part in it so you could tell better. A little brown on the very outside layer doesn't mean it's bad, per se, but I'd probably choose the better looking one.
Some stores near me (not Loblaws brands) use Foodhero. It's an app that lets them sell stuff marked down a bit that was going to go bad. They'll freeze it, but before it gets to this state. Then depending on the place or item I've seen things marked down up to 60%
This doesn’t look rotten, it looks oxidized. I’d much rather see this than see them throw out literal tonnes of food.
Fuck loblaws.
Edit - This is not spoiled. I understand we have unreasonably high expectations in Canada, but that’s a different issue.
I'd have to smell it and cut into it to judge if it's still edible. If so, and I believe you're correct about oxidation and not spoiled, a large dose of garlic, salt and pepper and other seasonings before roasting would help it considerably.
In my opinion, perhaps Loblaws could lower the prices so that turnaround is better. Throwing away food, particularly an animal's flesh, in the garbage is shameful.
no it isn't.... it's oxidized like the above person said. The best before date is the 30th... (today). Discoloured does not mean spoiled. I worked as a meat cutter many years ago and this discolouring makes it less appealing but not spoiled.
Shh don’t tell them all the secrets or working in a butcher shop. The meat is breaking down which makes it more tender. Probably the best piece there and half the price.
Have you ever seen a piece of dry aged beef hanging? I’m guessing not because if you think this looks gross then you’d be put off beef entirely if you saw it before they trimmed the “pellicle” off.
Well no, because this meat isn’t expired.
But since you need me to hold your hand through this comparison, I was suggesting that the look of dry aged beef is a lot more disgusting than a perfectly fine slightly oxidized piece of beef.
This sub is a riot. Like have you all NOT see spoiled meat/veggies at a grocery store or something?
That meat does not looked spoiled either.
The more egregious thing is that it costs $31 fucking dollars.
Let me begin by stating that loblaws blows. However, that is just oxidation. If anyone is feeling sick seeing this then I would advise you to never eat at a restaurant again. It's very common in the biz as most places only have one or two food distributor (GFS, Sysco, etc...) deliveries per week.
It's funny because you can't. I worked in a meat dept beef just oxidises like that, air just got to the outside. Not backing the company but throwing that out would be a waste. People really have no idea.
It's only oxidized from the air getting in the package!
I guess none of you have seen how they age meat?!?
Just take it out and wash off the protein juice. It's fine.
Even if property sealed beef will go that color by the end of its shelf life. It's the blood draining out. That's why you have a full heavy soaker pad in the bottom by the last day. I'm going to start an ask the butcher thread I think.
Your comment isn’t wrong but just to clarify something the red liquid in meat isn’t blood (that gets drained in the slaughtering process), it’s myoglobin which is also what gives it the brownish color when it gets oxidized.
Took me a long time to convince my gf, now wife, of this. She was vegetarian for years so don't fault her for not knowing; she switched to meat again because she was becoming pretty anemic, ironically was about the same time I wanted to switch to vegetarian.
We bought chicken at a 30% discount once, from Zehr's (Loblaws store), opened it, it stank. It was off.
When we took it back, the same day, the women working there said, "Yep, I won't buy it if it is discounted. Usually well on its way out. "
Lesson learned. Got our money back.
I’ve been meaning to look to outrageous behaviour at loblaws and take pictures for this sub. But I’ve stopped shopping there and haven’t had the chance.
I really think the mods need to start yanking posts like this. Like do you know how dumb this sounds to anyone with even a half-baked knowledge of food safety?
"Gee, I wonder why we aren't getting more serious write-ups in the mainstream media when we're spreading misinformation and ignorant sentiments about food that literally every grocer on the face of the earth would consider acceptable???"
Beef (vs say chicken, which I'd hesitate strongly at 50% but prolly ok at 30%) - you can certainly age beef, I'd snap that roast up, it'd be quite tender.
Ok if u say so then you eat it I sure wouldn’t because it’s expired and these dates are never exact and this could make someone sick I date u to smell it and then smell a fresh one u can tell it’s bad sour sticky and still over 15 dollars lol
That’s the best piece on the shelf…. Most meat in supermarkets isn’t aged enough. I exclusively buy that discounted meat and not for financial reasons…. I’ll pick up some reduced beef and then drop $45 on a piece of salmon for the night. It’s legit better beef, more tender.
Beef is not dipped in blood or dye. This is a vast misconception in the meat industry. The red color comes from the blood oxidizing after it gets cut or ground. We call them primals, that's the big piece of meat that comes in that gets cut into smaller pieces. When we take them out of the vac pack they're almost purple. If you leave them exposed to oxygen, they turn bright red. When we make ground beef we let it mix in our machine to gain that color.
That doesn't look like it was in a cooler for a while, someone prob put it in their cart and left it on a shelf a customer or employee found it hours later and put it back in the cooler
Today, we found ourselves at Zerhs to pick up some items for our Easter dinner preparations (please don't shame me).
While I was off looking at something different, my partner later said the meat department 'stank', because there was a bad roast that had gone bad. I snapped a picture because, frankly, it was shocking to see such a product still on offer! This raises significant concerns regarding food safety and the standards upheld by the store – it's a potential health hazard!
And to add to the surprise, the head of the meat department was on duty. It's puzzling that no action was taken to promptly remove and dispose of the spoiled meat. I am guessing he isn't allowed to remove it, until it exceeds today's date? Regardless, it's downright gross!
That's going to contaminate any other meat it touches.
This store should be shutdown while a health inspector does a full-scale store investigation.
I would throw that behind the butcher's counter if I saw that.
Sometimes they'll discover a veautifully-aged roast that falls behind a freezer, cut the rind off, and succulence inside. Beef different from say chicken or fish.
You see all that blood pooling in the bottom left corner?
That's dripping through the poorly sealed plastic onto everything beneath it.
If the meat of another roast comes into contact the blood's bacteria will spread, and the meat will spoil and rot within 3 days flat, regardless of how fresh it is.
This is why rotation is important. And this is why restaurants store their meat underneath everything else. If even a drop of that blood touches raw produce that's used in a salad, the recipient's going to get food poisoning. Severity will depend on time of gestation.
Good suggestion.
Buying meat at regular price, just so you can rush and cook it, and run the risk of getting cross contaminated with w/e's growing on that other roast.
It sounds stupid when you write it out, but I think it's still a great suggestion.
Yeah even metro trying to play off their stuff as still good, offering only 30% off. I cook their lamb and it’s clearly putrid. On top of that they only have empty sections and don’t restock their shit. This has gotten beyond insane. This is not a first world country anymore.
Man, looking at this, I'm reminded of the fact that, assuming this doesn't sell, it'll usually get off-loaded in bulk to a "dog food" company, who usually chuck these in by the dozens, Styrofoam tray and all, into a dog food processor which makes the cheap brands of kibble. Very sad!
This... isn't a lie. All grocers do this. Expired and rotten meat literally gets given to dog food processing companies to make cheap dog food. There are numerous documentaries about this.
>chuck these in by the dozens, Styrofoam tray and all
big claim to make there, that our grocery stores in Canada are perpetuating this, Styrofoam and all
I take it you make stuff up all the time and convince yourself it’s true.
Do you understand the liability that would open up ANY company to? Grinding up plastic and selling it as food.
People like you damage the boycott with your ridiculous and fantastical claims.
This is because they'll spend money on ANYTHING that isn't labour.
Probably just got to the counter before it was culled by the one guy in the meat dept.
Let’s see. The OPs photo has it rotting in the corners with solid chunks of rotting. It’s in the OPs title. Your account is 2 years old with virtually no karma, typical of shill accounts. Busted.
I respectfully disagree. A quick google search indicates if meat is grey on the inside it’s likely ok. On the other hand, if it’s grey all over, it could be a sign that it’s beginning to spoil. To be fair it *could* be a sign of a of oxidation. I can tell you though, I won’t be taking any chances……..
Edit: info
Edit two: turns out I’m completely and utterly wrong. Now I know and understanding many depend on discounted meat, I take back all that I claimed and apologize.
That’s cross contamination everything in that cooler should be destroyed. It’s no different if a health inspector walks into my restaurant. There should not be 2 sets of rules! Not to mention that cooler now has to be completely stripped and thoroughly washed and disinfected. Disgusting 🤢
You don't get cross-contamination from something that isn't contaminated.
That roast is not contaminated, it's beautiful, and actually what I'd shop for. Not in ground beef (because grinding exposes much of it yo airborne bacteria and then covers it up again when it's put back into the package which is how cuts on a body get infected) -- but a roast of beef with a browned surface is lovely and will be more tender.
__Reminder__: Please take a moment to review the content guidelines for our sub, and remember the human here! This subreddit is to highlight the ridiculous cost of living in Canada, and poke fun at the Corporate Overlords reponsible. As you well know, there are a number of persons and corporations responsible for this, and we welcome discussion related to them all. Furthermore, since this topic is intertwined with a number of other matters, other discussion will be allowed at moderator discretion. Open-minded discussion, memes, rants, grocery bills, and general screeching into the void is always welcome in this sub, but belligerence and disrespect is not. There are plenty of ways to get your point across without being abusive, dismissive, or downright mean. If you have not done so already, please review our [boycott stickied post](https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1bff9rm/boycott/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) which includes a list of stores to avoid, other ways to get involved in the movement, and some local alternatives to the big 5. Thank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Oxidized meat isn't rotten or stinky. It just means it wasn't sealed right or fast enough before it went to the shelf allowing oxygen to get at the meat and turn it a bit brown rather then red. If you see green or a lot of grey then the meat may not in fact be safe to eat. Just putting this out there for those who rely on discounted meats ❤ Also, pre seasoned, in store marinades are where you need to worry most. That's what they do with the meat that's not pretty anymore so when/if those get discounted... just be careful...
30-year butcher here. If it was pork or chicken that was that discolored you definitely want to stay away. That's an inside round roast that has oxidized. It's should still be fine.
Thanks for chiming in. ❤
Thank god. The amount of ignorance on here is wild.
Blue/green is the danger zone. Or strange popcorn like smell.
Or sweet. If I smell a meat not intended to be sweet I avoid like crazy
Was just gonna say, as a chef, that's not necessarily bad... Not great, but not rotten.
Yupp this meat is fine. Will taste as good as the other meat you see near it.
The fact is that as much as 70 percent of meat sold in stores is treated with carbon monoxide to keep the meat a deceptively fresh looking red color. It isn’t normally that way. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-supermarket-meat-is-always-unnaturally-red/
Wish I got a dollar every time I had to explain this to a customer.
You know what might be helpful... and you don't have to; but this is just an idea... Maybe making a post here (on this sub) about good meats and bad meats so that people can know what they're looking for and what to avoid when shopping discounts. I don't know if you have the time/desire to do that; but I don't have the field of knowledge to do so accurately myself. Obviously bad meats are easier to spot then the stuff which has just started to turn if you know what I mean.
I don’t really have the time. People who need/want to learn more should just use google.
Totally respect that. 🥰
Yeah, I always laugh when I buy beef at a discount because it's been aged an extra day. Most people pay extra for that. That said, this roast is very gray, and even I would think twice and give it the sniff test ;)
This
I would buy that in a heart beat. Red meat is mostly coloring for appeal.
What?
Look it up/
My what was a what of incredulity. There's no red coloring taking place.
Well what you see on the bottom of your package is not blood,K
Correct, indeed it's not. It's purge, which is the moisture of the meat mixed with hemoglobins from the muscle. It's not coloring.
No: Myoglobin. Meat starts burgundy then turns bright red very quickly when the myoglobin exposed to oxygen. It will stay red for like a week then continued oxidation starts turning it brown and grey. If you get ground beef that's red on the inside and brown inside that's fine because that inside meat **isn't** oxidized. Leave it out for 15 minutes and it should turn redder Beef that is going brown grey on the outside and it's not happening in a controlled environment means it's starting to go bad or might already be unsafe. Do not buy it because it's tough to tell for sure if it's bad through the packaging. Roasts aren't aged, nor should they be. That's like aging ground beef. Exposed surfaces get rolled up inside and the clock is now ticking If this beef isn't already bad it's 11:59 on the clock. 50% off is not worth it Do not buy grey roasts, ground beef \* or any other meat that isn't a solid piece of meat. \* In theory you can buy unoxidized ground beef but no stores sell it that way so not really worth mentioning
Air chilled steak is premium /28 days.This was,t hamburger it is a roast.Brown means nothing.
This is a roast, not a solid cut of meat. It was never getting industrially sealed
[удалено]
They do not dye the meat
It’s treated with Carbon monoxide https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-supermarket-meat-is-always-unnaturally-red/
While the article sprinkles some truth in there to make it seem all true, as a whole, and the particular premise that product is treated with carbon monoxide is extremely wrong. Source: actually manage one of the facilities that supplies case ready meat for supermarkets. EDIT: MAP packaging is predominantly nitrogen. Carbon monoxide, while present, is less than 0.1%. MAP is only used on lidstock trays, those trays that are made of plastic and are deeper, not the styrofoam ones. The large majority of meat sold at supermarkets in North America is actually hi-ox, where the bags where the meat gets delivered to the supermarkets is pumped with a high oxigen mix which actually prevents oxidation until the bag's atmosphere reflects natural ratios.
It’s not dye, it’s often from nitrogen(I think that’s the gas they use) that they use to brighten the meat. It’s why ground beef at big box stores is red/pink instead of a more natural brown.
It's not nitrogen, it's oxygen and it's fucking normal. Oxygen makes myoglobin turn bright red after like 15 minutes of exposure. Continued oxidation breaks that down further and it starts to go grey brown. The reason ground beef is often red outside and brownish inside is due to a lack of oxygen reaching that internal mass, not some sort of industrial treatment to the outside. If nitrogen is being used it's to displace the oxygen to slow down the oxidation. It's not making it red, it's keeping it red. It is red because it's fresh, partially due to effective packaging. If it's no longer red it's starting to oxidize. That doesn't mean it's bad but, depending on the cut of meat, it can be a sign to stay away. Do not buy roasts or ground beef that's grey on the outside (opaque ground beef tubes potentially excluded but you probably shouldn't buy those for other reasons). Basically any form of beef that could allow bacteria to form deep inside of the meat due to processing. Redditors are mixing up their facts. Steaks that aren't red are fine. Roasts that aren't red are **not**
That’s a lot of effort to convince someone who agrees with you. They use nitrogen in ground beef at the very least to maintain the bright colour. I am unsure about full cuts of beef. Regardless, we agree. Edit - oh nvm, I didn’t bother finishing your short novel. Roasts turning brown are perfectly fine, but you do you.
Sorry for the aggression, I was supporting you
Well either way, you were very close. The reason why brown steaks are ok is the same reason why brown roasts are ok and why ground beef is not quite as ok(not that brown beef is spoiled anyway). When you grind the beef you mix in all that surface area that has bacteria. This is also why(at least where I live) you generally cannot order a burger that isn’t at least medium well, but you can order a steak blu rare. Because when you cook a steak(or roast) the surface area is sterilized by the heat, but a burger has bacteria all the way through.
It is aged. I have seen some ads where the stores boast their meat is “aged to perfection“ before selling. https://meatnbone.com/blogs/the-clever-cleaver/what-is-aged-beef-understanding The fact is that as much as 70 percent of meat sold in stores is treated with carbon monoxide to keep the meat a deceptively fresh looking bright red color. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-supermarket-meat-is-always-unnaturally-red/
Do not listen to this Redditor. Steaks are aged Roasts aren't aged. Ground beef isn't aged. And there are very very good reasons for this. This roast should not be for sale in this condition. This looks like it could already make someone sick
Butcher here. That roast is fine. Probably won't be in a few days but it looks absolutely fine in this photo. When in doubt go with the date on the package (assuming no date changing flickering is happening) Whole Beef cuts in particular are generally fine right up to the bb date.
The user took the photo on the expiry date. People don't usually fully cook roasts, which are not solid cuts of meat I fail to see how this is at all okay given how misinformed the general public is when it comes to food safety
NO! NOT ENOUGH RED DYE! IT MEAN BAD!
They don't fucking dye meat. What the fuck happened to Reddit? It's just as bad as Facebook now
Expiry date and best before date are not synonymous. The user above was being sarcastic and was making fun of your panic. Even the government of Canada's food safety guide specifically says this about best before dates: "Best before dates are not indicators of food safety, neither before nor after the date. You can buy and eat foods after the best before date has passed. However, after this date has passed, the food may lose some of its freshness, flavour, and nutritional value. Its texture may have also changed." Source: "[https://inspection.canada.ca/food-labels/labelling/consumers/understanding-the-date-labels-on-your-food/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633](https://inspection.canada.ca/food-labels/labelling/consumers/understanding-the-date-labels-on-your-food/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633)" Grey beef is fine so long as it passes the sniff test. The 50% off discount is also totally fine here. If someone bought this and it was indeed not fit to eat, they would be reimbursed, but as actual experts have said repeatedly in this thread, it's fine.
So if a butcher..25yrs…. Meat is not red. Meat is brown. Blood turns red and meat is red from it. When you break down beef it turns red after sitting on counter. Once it “drains” and oxidizes it’s brown. Most expensive meats are dry aged hung up and turned whole bunch of colors carved out and you have beautiful meat inside that piece is far from rotten. It’s just not picture perfect according to marketing practices and people have no fucking idea what they’re talking about.
Exactly. This is what happens when we separate people so far from the source of their food and its preparation.
Well you CAN expose it to carbon monoxide. Then the blood won’t oxidize for much longer.
What kind of meat have you aged? Have you ever aged a roast? Have you ever aged ground beef? If you don't know why you can age one and not the other then your 25 years as a butcher means nothing
Thats not rotten
Damn the comments are hilarious 😂. People obviously don't know jack about meat
People have become so disconnected from their food.
Yes, they have a problem with this roast but are probably more than willing to eat at McD’s 😂
If it doesn’t look like an add they have seen in a magazine they claim it’s off and call the health authority. People are incredibly disconnected from their food. Has anyone ever been up north to the territories where food has to get flown in? The meat actually goes slightly green (beef) but you can still eat it once cooked past a certain temperature. Lots of beef is dry aged, has anyone seen that? FFS,
They sure like to think they do though.
Yet most of them jack their meat multiple times a day (for science).
Butcher here. That is not rotten it’s oxydized.
Inform your local health unit about spoiled foods being sold…they account to government too. Better business bureau, local media, social media blasts. I am sure there are a few more agencies that can do something about it. If not drop it off on a dry goods shelf, they will have to dispose of it
But feel free to not inform them about spoiled foods when you don't know how to identify spoiled foods.
Agreed. People don’t understand what meat actually looks like vs what they’ve been conditioned to believe it should look like. This is sold within best before date and prob isn’t rotten or stinky. People need to inform themselves. I am in no way advocating for this dumpster fire of a company, but I do however advocate for proper research and intelligence if you want to comment on how meat should look. You should not be downvoted.
They should put a little scratch and sniff part in it so you could tell better. A little brown on the very outside layer doesn't mean it's bad, per se, but I'd probably choose the better looking one. Some stores near me (not Loblaws brands) use Foodhero. It's an app that lets them sell stuff marked down a bit that was going to go bad. They'll freeze it, but before it gets to this state. Then depending on the place or item I've seen things marked down up to 60%
This doesn’t look rotten, it looks oxidized. I’d much rather see this than see them throw out literal tonnes of food. Fuck loblaws. Edit - This is not spoiled. I understand we have unreasonably high expectations in Canada, but that’s a different issue.
I'd have to smell it and cut into it to judge if it's still edible. If so, and I believe you're correct about oxidation and not spoiled, a large dose of garlic, salt and pepper and other seasonings before roasting would help it considerably. In my opinion, perhaps Loblaws could lower the prices so that turnaround is better. Throwing away food, particularly an animal's flesh, in the garbage is shameful.
Look at the fat. It's 100% spoiled.
no it isn't.... it's oxidized like the above person said. The best before date is the 30th... (today). Discoloured does not mean spoiled. I worked as a meat cutter many years ago and this discolouring makes it less appealing but not spoiled.
Shh don’t tell them all the secrets or working in a butcher shop. The meat is breaking down which makes it more tender. Probably the best piece there and half the price.
Great answer.
EXACTLY!
I'm not talking about the discoloration. I'm talking about the fat part of the meat being brittle and breaking apart. That's a sign of decomposition.
decomposition does not mean rotten... meat starts decomposing the moment an animal is slaughtered.
You would hate to see an aged steak they sell at the fancy restaurants before they scrape/cut them.
spoken like a true amateur 'chef'
Half this sub still gets mom to buy groceries. I'd take that guys advice over most here.
Have you ever seen a piece of dry aged beef hanging? I’m guessing not because if you think this looks gross then you’d be put off beef entirely if you saw it before they trimmed the “pellicle” off.
Are you comparing a dry aged steak with a piece of expired meat inside a moist and closed environment at a Loblaws? Are you out of your mind?
Well no, because this meat isn’t expired. But since you need me to hold your hand through this comparison, I was suggesting that the look of dry aged beef is a lot more disgusting than a perfectly fine slightly oxidized piece of beef.
The smell of a perfectly fresh jackfruit is more disgusting than a rotten apple. See, I can make non-sensical comparisons as well.
You approach this from a completely uninformed perspective. All good brother.
This sub is a riot. Like have you all NOT see spoiled meat/veggies at a grocery store or something? That meat does not looked spoiled either. The more egregious thing is that it costs $31 fucking dollars.
^^^^^
It doesn’t, it costs $15.50. It’s 50% off.
I think it's 31$ after 50% off 😂😂
Nope
These continue to be wrong, basically every time. Stay on point.
It's oxidized not rotten lol
The food looks fine in the picture grey and red are okay any green or other colour is bad
If it smells rotten, I’m not eating it regardless of colour.
Fair enough I can't smell through a picture
Smelled it through the plastic?
Let me begin by stating that loblaws blows. However, that is just oxidation. If anyone is feeling sick seeing this then I would advise you to never eat at a restaurant again. It's very common in the biz as most places only have one or two food distributor (GFS, Sysco, etc...) deliveries per week.
I can smell this picture … gag
[Needs the colour chart!](https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/s/m1X1xVBPU4)
It's funny because you can't. I worked in a meat dept beef just oxidises like that, air just got to the outside. Not backing the company but throwing that out would be a waste. People really have no idea.
It's only oxidized from the air getting in the package! I guess none of you have seen how they age meat?!? Just take it out and wash off the protein juice. It's fine.
So basically it hasn’t been properly sealed?…
Even if property sealed beef will go that color by the end of its shelf life. It's the blood draining out. That's why you have a full heavy soaker pad in the bottom by the last day. I'm going to start an ask the butcher thread I think.
Your comment isn’t wrong but just to clarify something the red liquid in meat isn’t blood (that gets drained in the slaughtering process), it’s myoglobin which is also what gives it the brownish color when it gets oxidized.
Took me a long time to convince my gf, now wife, of this. She was vegetarian for years so don't fault her for not knowing; she switched to meat again because she was becoming pretty anemic, ironically was about the same time I wanted to switch to vegetarian.
Hmm, no iron-y in being anemic though ?
Thank you. Always a pleasure to learn something new.
Ya… I don’t know this looks pretty gray to me not just brown.
Of course it's hard to tell with each individual piece based on one picture. The real issue with that roast is the regular price on it.
I think it’s all an issue but meh. Ya fighting or debating won’t change anything. Agree to boycott together instead?
Well I work for a major grocery chain that's not Loblaws so I pretty much boycott them anyway.
We bought chicken at a 30% discount once, from Zehr's (Loblaws store), opened it, it stank. It was off. When we took it back, the same day, the women working there said, "Yep, I won't buy it if it is discounted. Usually well on its way out. " Lesson learned. Got our money back.
The meat is actually fine, some might say better. Just oxidized, and aged a bit.
The only thing rotten and stinky is your ignorance about what happens to meat when it sits for a little while.
Even the string has had enough.
“That night I sent a whole platoon to the latrines“
Actually meats natural colour is brownish . Red meat in the picture has dye in it.
No that’s still good .. Walmart sells that shit full price !!!! The I…….. are loving it up too
Huh...
Soon to be only 30% off!
I’ve been meaning to look to outrageous behaviour at loblaws and take pictures for this sub. But I’ve stopped shopping there and haven’t had the chance.
I really think the mods need to start yanking posts like this. Like do you know how dumb this sounds to anyone with even a half-baked knowledge of food safety? "Gee, I wonder why we aren't getting more serious write-ups in the mainstream media when we're spreading misinformation and ignorant sentiments about food that literally every grocer on the face of the earth would consider acceptable???"
Beef (vs say chicken, which I'd hesitate strongly at 50% but prolly ok at 30%) - you can certainly age beef, I'd snap that roast up, it'd be quite tender.
That’s not bad yet
Ok if u say so then you eat it I sure wouldn’t because it’s expired and these dates are never exact and this could make someone sick I date u to smell it and then smell a fresh one u can tell it’s bad sour sticky and still over 15 dollars lol
Is my meat supposed to bleed and look grey?
That 50% sticker looks easily removable
Try to peel the tag off and put it on another one. Then go through self checkout
Rotten? Hardly! That looks perfect.
Not butcher here- regular guy who knows anything about food. That’s not rotten at all
Let them eat cake
That’s the best piece on the shelf…. Most meat in supermarkets isn’t aged enough. I exclusively buy that discounted meat and not for financial reasons…. I’ll pick up some reduced beef and then drop $45 on a piece of salmon for the night. It’s legit better beef, more tender.
Feed it to Galen.
Sacrilicious…
[удалено]
Beef is not dipped in blood or dye. This is a vast misconception in the meat industry. The red color comes from the blood oxidizing after it gets cut or ground. We call them primals, that's the big piece of meat that comes in that gets cut into smaller pieces. When we take them out of the vac pack they're almost purple. If you leave them exposed to oxygen, they turn bright red. When we make ground beef we let it mix in our machine to gain that color.
And I’m sure you’ve seen this first hand yourself….
Saw the same thing at food basics this week. 40% 3 days past expiry chicken.
Chicken different I believe, more chance of salmonella?
Nasty!!
Yeah - nasty chicken.
Jesus…
That's just texture. You're lucky they aren't charging more for the extra protein in there.
50% off. Good if eaten yesterday.
That doesn't look like it was in a cooler for a while, someone prob put it in their cart and left it on a shelf a customer or employee found it hours later and put it back in the cooler
Today, we found ourselves at Zerhs to pick up some items for our Easter dinner preparations (please don't shame me). While I was off looking at something different, my partner later said the meat department 'stank', because there was a bad roast that had gone bad. I snapped a picture because, frankly, it was shocking to see such a product still on offer! This raises significant concerns regarding food safety and the standards upheld by the store – it's a potential health hazard! And to add to the surprise, the head of the meat department was on duty. It's puzzling that no action was taken to promptly remove and dispose of the spoiled meat. I am guessing he isn't allowed to remove it, until it exceeds today's date? Regardless, it's downright gross!
And yet you continue to shop there, ensuring their continued success. Your dollar is the only thing that matters. Spend it wisely.
That's going to contaminate any other meat it touches. This store should be shutdown while a health inspector does a full-scale store investigation. I would throw that behind the butcher's counter if I saw that.
Sometimes they'll discover a veautifully-aged roast that falls behind a freezer, cut the rind off, and succulence inside. Beef different from say chicken or fish.
That roast isn't bad and if it was they are individually wrapped, it's not touching the other meat.
You see all that blood pooling in the bottom left corner? That's dripping through the poorly sealed plastic onto everything beneath it. If the meat of another roast comes into contact the blood's bacteria will spread, and the meat will spoil and rot within 3 days flat, regardless of how fresh it is. This is why rotation is important. And this is why restaurants store their meat underneath everything else. If even a drop of that blood touches raw produce that's used in a salad, the recipient's going to get food poisoning. Severity will depend on time of gestation.
That's not blood. Blood would have coagulated a long time ago.
Cook it that day, heat it to a proper temperature and it will be fine. Time of gestation? The meat isn't pregnant.
Good suggestion. Buying meat at regular price, just so you can rush and cook it, and run the risk of getting cross contaminated with w/e's growing on that other roast. It sounds stupid when you write it out, but I think it's still a great suggestion.
Yeah even metro trying to play off their stuff as still good, offering only 30% off. I cook their lamb and it’s clearly putrid. On top of that they only have empty sections and don’t restock their shit. This has gotten beyond insane. This is not a first world country anymore.
Yummmmm
Grose
Are they even allowed to do that? What happened to good inspection?
Shameful.
Man, looking at this, I'm reminded of the fact that, assuming this doesn't sell, it'll usually get off-loaded in bulk to a "dog food" company, who usually chuck these in by the dozens, Styrofoam tray and all, into a dog food processor which makes the cheap brands of kibble. Very sad!
you really don't need to spread lies to make people hate Loblaws It just makes people question the legitimate shitty things.
This... isn't a lie. All grocers do this. Expired and rotten meat literally gets given to dog food processing companies to make cheap dog food. There are numerous documentaries about this.
>chuck these in by the dozens, Styrofoam tray and all big claim to make there, that our grocery stores in Canada are perpetuating this, Styrofoam and all
I take it you make stuff up all the time and convince yourself it’s true. Do you understand the liability that would open up ANY company to? Grinding up plastic and selling it as food. People like you damage the boycott with your ridiculous and fantastical claims.
And it shouldn't be in with the rest of them, accelerating spoilage because of all the extra bacteria present.
I don't know what this is but it shouldn't even be close to the actual meat
Yea but show me where you’re gunna get a better deal on it tho
This is because they'll spend money on ANYTHING that isn't labour. Probably just got to the counter before it was culled by the one guy in the meat dept.
Is this even legal?? That's a trip to the hospital if you're lucky! if not the morgue. Wow.
It’s mostly rot so it very tender
“Are they buying the rotten meat at 30% off?” “No, boss, no takers” “Hit the peons with the 50% off stickers - they’ll get desperate enough!”
🤮
Saving you on PC health insurance by killing you before you need it! Brought to you by PC
Terrible
Report the selling of rotten food to your regional health board. This is getting out of hand with their criminality.
It's not rotten though
Let’s see. The OPs photo has it rotting in the corners with solid chunks of rotting. It’s in the OPs title. Your account is 2 years old with virtually no karma, typical of shill accounts. Busted.
Yum…Grey meat. Delicious and nutritious!
Thankfully a little bit of oxygen doesn't make it any less delicious or nutritious
I respectfully disagree. A quick google search indicates if meat is grey on the inside it’s likely ok. On the other hand, if it’s grey all over, it could be a sign that it’s beginning to spoil. To be fair it *could* be a sign of a of oxidation. I can tell you though, I won’t be taking any chances…….. Edit: info Edit two: turns out I’m completely and utterly wrong. Now I know and understanding many depend on discounted meat, I take back all that I claimed and apologize.
Actually it is
This needs to be reported. A health inspector would not be okay with this.
That’s cross contamination everything in that cooler should be destroyed. It’s no different if a health inspector walks into my restaurant. There should not be 2 sets of rules! Not to mention that cooler now has to be completely stripped and thoroughly washed and disinfected. Disgusting 🤢
Tell me you don't know anything about meat without telling me you don't know anything about meat lol
Also tell me you don't understand what cross contaminated without telling me you don't understand what it means
You don't get cross-contamination from something that isn't contaminated. That roast is not contaminated, it's beautiful, and actually what I'd shop for. Not in ground beef (because grinding exposes much of it yo airborne bacteria and then covers it up again when it's put back into the package which is how cuts on a body get infected) -- but a roast of beef with a browned surface is lovely and will be more tender.