How to Tell if Your Meat Isn’t Safe to Eat
In two of our previous articles, we determined that pork meat has health benefits and can be frozen; it seems to be resilient food, but can it ever be inedible and dangerous to your health? Let’s find out more.
An article published by Spoon University summarises three definitive ways to tell if meat has gone bad: smell; texture and colour.
- Smell – Perhaps the quickest way to know if your meat is over the hill is to consider how it smells. Spoiled meat will have a distinct, pungent smell that will make your face scrunch up.
- Texture – In addition to a nasty scent, spoiled meats can be sticky or slimy to the touch.
- Colour – Rotten meats will also undergo a slight colour change. Raw pork will display a greyish pink colour. Please note that if any of your meat turns green or a greenish-brown colour, it’s likely to give you food poisoning; get rid of it straight away.
Have you ever heard of Trichinosis?
Trichinosis (the medical term of food poisoning) is a disease that you can get from eating spoiled meat. Symptoms of trichinosis can include
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle soreness
- Headaches
- Eye swelling
These symptoms usually appear four to 48 hours after eating spoiled food, but, in some cases, it can take up to two weeks before you experience symptoms. You can also get the disease from unclean kitchen utensils that are used to prepare the meat. So, it’s in your best interest to practice good hygiene habits by always washing used cutlery.
Do you know the difference between ‘sell-by’ date and ‘use-by’ dates?
Sell-by date: A “Sell-By” date is aimed at retailers and indicates when the product should be sold or removed from shelf life. It does not mean that the product is unsafe at that point in time.
Use-by date: A “Use-By” date is aimed at consumers; it’s the last date recommended for the use of the product while at optimal quality. All retailers must ensure they abide by this date to avoid selling/serving sub-par quality meat.
So, now that you know how/when to tell if meat is spoilt, as well as the consequences of not storing meat properly, you can focus on enjoying the delicious, distinctive flavours of our premium pork products.
At Van Wyngaardt, we supply a range of fresh and/or frozen pork cuts as well as a variety of processed meats that are manufactured to the supreme standards. Our meat products are cut to order and packaged to guarantee freshness and quality.