Never buy ground beef if you see this red flag

A food safety expert weighs in.

Millions of people buy ground beef every week. It's familiar, often affordable, and versatile enough to work in a wide range of meals, so I often toss it into my shopping cart on autopilot. I check the sell-by date, give the meat a quick look, and move on.

But according to food scientist and registered dietitian Jennifer Pallian, it's worth pausing for a little longer to inspect the ground beef more carefully. Some of the most important food safety clues have nothing to do with the color of the meat or the date on the package.

Read More: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Ground Beef

The Red Flag Most Ground Beef Buyers Miss

“For me, the biggest red flag is a leaky or torn package,” says Pallian.

Through damaged packaging, pathogens can escape and contaminate everything else in your grocery cart, while bacteria and other contaminants from the outside can also make their way into the package, she explains.

Plus, unlike a whole steak or roast, ground beef is processed in a way that makes it uniquely vulnerable. When beef is ground, any bacteria that were on the surface get mixed throughout the meat, increasing the risk of contamination.

Beyond packaging, temperature is another warning sign. Ground beef should feel "actively cold to the touch" when you pick it up, says Pallian. That's not the same as feeling merely cool. If it's not actively cold, the meat may have been sitting in the danger zone. "The entire safety calculation hinges on whether the meat has been kept at or below 40°F throughout its journey," she explains. Unfortunately, if the meat hasn't been handled properly, the sell-by date means very little.

​It Can Look Fine and Still Be Risky

Temperature isn't the only thing shoppers misjudge in the meat aisle. Color is another common one. Many of us use it as a primary safety check, but it only tells part of the story.

There are two categories of bacteria to know about: spoilage bacteria and pathogenic bacteria. Spoilage bacteria are behind the telltale signs we recognize right away, including sour smells, slimy textures, and discoloration.

Pathogenic bacteria, like E. coli or Salmonella, are much more dangerous and largely invisible to consumers because they "don't generally affect the taste, smell, or appearance of food," Pallian explains.

It's an unfortunate paradox. “The bacteria most likely to make you sick,” she says, “are the ones you can’t detect with your senses."

This is also why that grayish-brown color on your meat isn't necessarily a dealbreaker. Pallian notes that the inside of the meat can look grayish-brown simply because it hasn't been exposed to oxygen, which is not the same as spoilage.

However, if the entire package has turned gray or brown, that's worth paying attention to. By leaning too heavily on appearance, "shoppers routinely reject perfectly safe meat for the wrong reason and accept genuinely risky meat for the wrong reason," she says.

​How To Keep Ground Beef From Going Bad

Once you’ve picked up the ideal package, the clock starts ticking. Pallian recommends driving straight home after grocery shopping because the two-hour rule applies from the moment the meat leaves refrigeration. That window shrinks to just one hour on a hot day or in a warm car.

Ground beef also has a short shelf life in the fridge, so freeze it if you don't plan to use it within one to two days.

As Pallian sees it, choosing the best ground beef comes down to temperature control and package integrity more than color or sell-by dates. A few extra seconds in the meat aisle and a straight shot home can go a long way toward keeping it (and your family) safe.

Read the original article on Simply Recipes