Meat Re-wraps in Grocery Store Meat Cabinets

Each year, the US retail beef industry loses up to one billion dollars in lost sales, four to five percent of the wholesale price, due to meat that does not sell because it is no longer blooming, even though this meat is still safe to eat.

The Canadian beef industry loses $200 million per year from vacuum packed meat that spoiled because it did not sell in a timely way.

Meat that doesn’t sell can be sold more cheaply by re-wrapping it, such as grinding it, marinating it, or even cooking it, but this still represents a loss in terms of additional labor costs and realizing a smaller profit. Grinding re-wrapped meat exposes the meat to air and light and can accelerate bacterial growth.

The best solution is to display the meat to best advantage when it is blooming, which will naturally lead to increased sales allowing the grocery store to realize its full profit.