‘I’ll just read the sticker.’
If you’ve ever wondered why meats at the supermarket come in different colored packaging, this shopper has an interesting theory.
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Supermarket meat and seafood are often, unfortunately, packaged in hard plastic containers or semi-soft foam trays that come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.
Foam trays tend to be the most popular choice because they’re, you guessed it, the cheapest option that’s still reliable.
And there seems to be a correlation between color and what’s inside.
The meaning behind colored meat packaging
In a viral video with more than 1.5 million views, content creators, Liz and Jeff (@lizseff_n on TikTok), made an interesting observation at the grocery store.
“Took me 43 years to find this out,” they said.
They pointed out that the regular cuts of meat, like beef patties that are 20% fat, are in white foam trays while their premium counterparts, like Angus patties, are in black trays.
Meanwhile, yellow trays contain chicken, and yellow or red stickers are for discounted prices.
Is the color-coded system universal?
Not exactly.
“When it comes to the different colors of foam trays, there is no hard-and-fast rule. As such, your supermarket or facility can easily establish or create color guidelines based on your unique needs and goals,” a food packaging supplier stated.
However, an overarching trend is that:
- Blue for seafood
- Black for high-end meats
- Green for fruits and veggies
- Red for pork
- White for regular cuts
- Yellow is used for poultry
But different places may switch this up.
A National Meat Case study, published in the Journal of Animal Science in 2004, determined that the three most common tray colors are white at 39.6%, yellow at 22.4%, and black at 11.5%.
Why color code?
Supermarkets that do have a color coding system may do this as a way to avoid cross contamination.
“Sometimes I’ll just read the sticker on the package,” the top comment read.
“Took you 43 years to read the packaging?” a person said.
“OMG! You’re gonna win a Peabody for reporting,” another added sarcastically.
@lizseff_n Grocery meat color codes Grocery meat color codes I go through the color code packing of my local grocery meat. This video is for entertainment purposes only—your local store packaging may differ. This original video was produced by Network Media LLC, and Liz & Jeff. #groceryshopping #butcher #meat #grocerystore ♬ original sound – Liz & Jeff
The Daily Dot reached out to Liz and Jeff for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Kroger via email.
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