10 things to know about meat before it reaches your plate
Meat production is a global business, but what happens inside is far from appetizing. From recalls to cover-ups, here’s what grocery store packaging doesn’t show.
1. That “fresh” meat could be weeks old
When an animal is killed, their muscles tighten and then slowly soften through a process called maturation.
During maturation, fungi grow on the surface and develop the flavors people expect from meat. Before sale, these fungi are simply trimmed away.
After about 20 days, this distinct flavor fades. After 30, iron release gives meat a metallic taste.
2. Bacteria behind mass recalls
An animal’s skin and organs act like shields against bacteria. During slaughter, those protective barriers are stripped away.
In today’s fast-moving slaughterhouses, sanitation slips as workers race to keep up. Germs like Salmonella and E. coli spread quickly, and the moisture in meat helps them multiply.
These same bacteria drive many of today’s mass meat recalls. In a study released in 2018, the CDC found chicken meat was the food most likely to cause food poisoning. Pig meat came second.
3. Parasites and plastic
Farmed animals often live with mites, fleas, ticks, lice, flies, and fungi–some of which can harm the humans who eat them. Worm eggs can be passed in droppings and then swallowed by birds pecking at dirty soil or litter. These could end up on your plate.
Meanwhile, faster meat processing increases the risk of metal or plastic breaking off machines. Rushed workers can miss these hazardous objects as they fall into the animals’ bodies.
4. Rise of the superbug
The meat industry relies on drugs—especially antibiotics—to keep sick animals alive until slaughter. Many farms also give animals low doses of antibiotics or hormones to speed growth.
Over time, this fuels antibiotic-resistant bacteria, making some human infections difficult or impossible to treat.
5. Industry caught red-handed
In 2017, Brazilian authorities exposed a bribery scheme in which meat inspectors were paid to overlook unsafe conditions.
Investigators found pig heads in sausages, cardboard mixed into chicken, and chemicals masking the smell of rotting meat. Some of this meat was destined for schools and global markets.
Animal Equality’s investigations show this filth starts long before slaughter. In the U.S., dead piglets lay behind caged mothers. In Spain, pigs lived among rotting corpses as maggots crawled through barns. On an Italian farm, piglets’ body parts were scattered across the floor.
See what else Animal Equality’s investigators have uncovered.
6. Where does the blood go?
During slaughter, animals can take several minutes to bleed out. The collected blood is often processed and turned into fertilizer or feed for other farmed animals.
7. Your chicken’s chemical rinse
In the U.S., chicken carcasses—even organic ones—can be washed in chlorine to kill bacteria. The European Union bans this practice, expressing concerns about cancer-linked compounds.
Still, a 2014 Consumer Reports test found that most chicken breasts had harmful bacteria. More than half contained fecal matter, and some carried antibiotic-resistant strains.
8. “Mystery meat,” anyone?
Processed meats—like hot dogs, nuggets, and burgers—are often made from scraps gathered from many sources. Meat from different animals, slaughterhouses, and even countries is mixed into a reddish paste, then shaped into the products you see in stores.
9. Why is your chicken meat green?
Ever sliced into a chicken breast and found green flesh? That’s “green muscle disease,” caused by poor blood flow in birds bred for oversized breasts. Another defect, “spaghetti meat,” leaves chicken stringy and mushy. Both are tied to decades of selective breeding.
10. Breeding the next pandemic
Many of the world’s deadliest pandemics—COVID-19 included—trace back to animals. Avian flu, swine flu, and HIV/AIDS all began in, or spread through, animals raised for food.
These diseases thrive in crowded, filthy factory farms. Here, constant human contact gives pathogens a direct route into your community.
Choose the fresher option
If this has you rethinking meat, here’s the good news: plant-based proteins are easier to access than ever before.
Every meal is a chance to cut demand for factory farming. Explore delicious, satisfying dishes by downloading your Love Veg digital cookbook.
LIVE KINDLY
With rich emotional lives and unbreakable family bonds, farmed animals deserve to be protected.
You can build a kinder world by replacing animal food products with plant‑based ones.
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