Shocking News About Meat

(Page 4 of 4)

June/July 2007
By Laura Sayre 
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If you value high-quality fresh meat, pay close attention to labels, and get to know your local farmers and butchers. To find them in your area, visit Local Harvest or Sustainable Table.

RELATED CONTENT

— Laura Sayre wrote “How Do Your Eggs Stack Up?,” about the benefits of eating farm-fresh eggs, in the April/May 2007 issue. She lives in Bucks County, Pa.

What About Case-Ready Organic Meat?

Most organic meat in the supermarket does arrive case-ready, since many retailers aren’t certified organic handlers and don’t want to deal with keeping unwrapped organic meat separate from non organic meat, says Pam Saunders, operations manager for Organic Prairie, the organic meat division of Organic Valley. But organic processing regulations disallow some of the packaging methods used for conventional meat, such as low-oxygen atmospheric packaging that uses small amounts of carbon monoxide. “The concern was that the color could remain so good in the low-oxygen packaging that it could potentially mask spoilage,” Saunders says. While some forms of gas packaging are allowed in organic meat, Organic Prairie chose instead to use vacuum packaging.

Organic regulations don’t prohibit injection, which is standard procedure for processing meats like hams, but the ingredients in the brine are restricted. Binders such as sodium phosphate are prohibited in organic processing, which translates to more meat and less water for people who buy organic processed meats, compared to their conventional counterparts. 

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Comments

  • tnuri 11/28/2007 8:25:55 AM

    Folks, we are what we eat.... Why are we having so many health
    problems???? Our veggies are pesticides, fertilized, and
    contaminated by the harvesters that we use in some places. We want
    everything cheap when we buy food, etc. What are we spending on
    health care because of it. People who take the time and cost to
    raise health food need to be compensated for it. We should spend
    more for our food and less on medicines which are just more
    chemicals going in our body. Wake up America. Tiny

  • sbradrx 7/19/2007 8:30:14 PM

    How are kosher meats packaged ?????????

  • Jessica 7/5/2007 10:14:14 AM

    I really enjoyed this article. Unfortunatly, I have been buying
    those very packages, without even knowing. I guess the only thing
    that I wish, is that you would have shown the difference between
    very fresh meat (with the purplish color) against the semi fresh
    (bright red) that I would automatically buy, until now!! Thank you

  • Chatty 6/29/2007 9:00:09 PM

    Thank you so much for this information I eat very little red meat
    but much chicken. I did not have any trouble reading this
    information as per Shar's letter. I will look for a local farmer.
    Thx Again Chatty

  • sharkplus 6/29/2007 7:48:43 PM

    This article is hard to read. Syntax and words are missing in
    sentences. Then there is formating, the extensive advertizing
    covers the text making the meaning impossible to understand.

  • Sarah 6/26/2007 6:08:55 PM

    This story is yet another testament to the wrongs of industrial
    agriculture. Read the Omnivore's Dilemma! You don't have to go
    vegetarian, buy from a local rancher or farmer who raises their
    animals right and processes them at a small butcher shop. Look at
    www.eatwild.com for local producers near you!

  • Claire 6/19/2007 3:16:51 PM

    Yet another reason to not eat meat.

  • azenlunatic 6/18/2007 9:09:32 PM

    This was a great story. I was between jobs a year ago and took a
    job at a butcher shop. Without going into the details and spoiling
    your appetite, I'll just say that I attribute my vegetarian diet
    today to the experiences I had working there...

  • Marci 6/5/2007 8:45:32 AM

    This was an eye-opening story. I used to buy the gas packages back
    when I bought meat at the grocery store, and I had no idea. Makes
    me wonder about restaurant meat. Is there any way to know what
    you're getting? I know some local restaurants try to use locally
    produced food, but what about places like Applebee's? scary...

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