Social Question

Cruiser's avatar

How do they do that?

Asked by Cruiser (40449points) July 12th, 2011

I have to admit I take some things for granted and every so often I wake up from my fog of life and notice something that has been there all along and say…“How do they do that”??? I went to grab a snack and they was a package of Oscar Beyer Turkey meat that had an expiration date of September 14th?? Hmmm??? Any sandwich meat I get from the deli is good for maybe 4–6 days max….so what on earth is in/on that meat that allows it survive over 60 days in my fridge???

Have you noticed any other things in your life that shatter the barriers of what you have know to be the norm??

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4 Answers

cockswain's avatar

Ah, the wonderful world of preservatives. Have you seen Supersize Me? At the end you see what happens to some normal french fries vs. McDonalds fries over a couple months. The normal fries rot and the McDonalds fries don’t change.

trickface's avatar

Salt and nitrites, something to do with lactic acid too.

For me the real question is how these products actually taste good most of the time. I suppose they add some sort of addictive ingredient to sort that.

Ahh I can’t afford to be suspicious of my food anyway, it’s cheap, tasty and does the job!

Cruiser's avatar

@cockswain <<puts fingers in my ears and covers my eyes>>

MissAusten's avatar

@Cruiser There’s probably also a suggestion on the package to use the lunch meat within 7 days of opening. Unlike the lunch meat from the deli, the packaged lunch meat is sealed in an airtight container. But once you open it, you should still eat it within a week.

Along the same lines, I always wonder why uncooked meats should only be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days, and yet will have a “sell by” date much past those couple of days. Does that mean it’s OK to keep it in the fridge but cook it before the sell by date? How is it possible for meat to sit at the grocery store for longer than a couple of days, but not in my fridge?

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