The Color of Meat and Poultry

USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency 

in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

These are just a few of the many questions received 

at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and 

Poultry Hotline concerning the color of meat and 

poultry. Color is important when meat and poultry are 

purchased, stored, and cooked. Often an attractive, 

bright color is a consideration for the purchase. So, 

why are there differences in the color and what do 

they mean? Listed below are some questions and 

answers to help you understand the color differences. 

1. What factors affect the color of meat 

and poultry?

Myoglobin, a protein, is responsible for the majority 

of the red color. Myoglobin doesn’t circulate in the 

blood but is fixed in the tissue cells and is purplish 

in color. When it is mixed with oxygen, it becomes 

oxymyoglobin and produces a bright red color. The 

remaining color comes from the hemoglobin which 

occurs mainly in the circulating blood, but a small 

amount can be found in the tissues after slaughter. 

Color is also influenced by the age of the animal, 

the species, sex, diet, and even the exercise it gets. 

The meat from older animals will be darker in color 

because the myoglobin level increases with age. 

Exercised muscles are always darker in color, which 

means the same animal can have variations of color 

in its muscles. 

In addition, the color of meat and poultry can change 

as it is being stored at retail and in the home (see 

explanation in question 5). When safely stored in the 

refrigerator or freezer, color changes are normal for 

fresh meat and poultry. 

I’ve just opened a package of fresh chicken and the skin looks blue. Is it safe to use?

My package of ground beef is dark in the center. Is this old meat?

The turkey was cooked according to the directions, but the breast meat is pink. Will it make us sick?

2. Does a change in color indicate 

spoilage?

Change in color alone does not mean the product is 

spoiled. Color changes are normal for fresh product. 

With spoilage there can be a change in color—often a 

fading or darkening. In addition to the color change, 

the meat or poultry will have an off odor, be sticky 

or tacky to the touch, or it may be slimy. If meat 

has developed these characteristics, it should not be 

used. 

3. If the color of meat and poultry 

changes while frozen, is it safe?

Color changes, while meat and poultry are frozen, 

occur just as they do in the refrigerator. Fading and 

darkening, for example, do not affect their safety. 

These changes are minimized by using freezer-type 

wrapping and by expelling as much air as possible 

from the package. 

4. What are the white dried patches on 

frozen meat and poultry?

The white dried patches indicate freezer burn. When 

meat and poultry have been frozen for an extended 

period of time or have not been wrapped and sealed 

properly, this will occur. The product remains safe to 

eat, but the areas with freezer burn will be dried out 

and tasteless and can be trimmed away if desired. 
Food Safety Information 2

The Color of Meat and Poultry

THE COLOR OF MEAT

5. When displayed at the grocery store, 

why is some meat bright red and other 

meat very dark in color?

Optimum surface color of fresh meat (i.e., cherry-red 

for beef; dark cherry-red for lamb; grayish-pink for 

pork; and pale pink for veal) is highly unstable and 

short-lived. When meat is fresh and protected from 

contact with air (such as in vacuum packages), it 

has the purple-red color that comes from myoglobin, 

one of the two key pigments responsible for the 

color of meat. When exposed to air, myoglobin forms 

the pigment, oxymyoglobin, which gives meat a 

pleasingly cherry-red color. The use of a plastic wrap 

that allows oxygen to pass through it helps ensure 

that the cut meats will retain this bright red color. 

However, exposure to store lighting as well as the 

continued contact of myoglobin and oxymyoglobin 

with oxygen leads to the formation of metmyoglobin, 

a pigment that turns meat brownish-red. This color 

change alone does not mean the product is spoiled 

(see explanation in question 2). 

6. Why is pre-packaged ground beef 

red on the outside and sometimes 

grayish-brown on the inside?

These color differences do not indicate that the meat 

is spoiled or old. As discussed earlier, fresh cut meat 

is purplish in color. Oxygen from the air reacts with 

meat pigments to form a bright red color which is 

usually seen on the surface of ground beef purchased 

in the supermarket. The interior of the meat may be 

grayish-brown due to the lack of oxygen penetrating 

below the surface. 

7. A beef roast has darkened in the 

refrigerator, is it safe?

Yes, it is safe. The darkening is due to oxidation, the 

chemical changes in myoglobin due to the oxygen 

content. This is a normal change during refrigerator 

storage. 

8. Can cooked ground beef still be pink 

inside?

Yes, ground beef can be pink inside after it is safely 

cooked. The pink color can be due to a reaction 

between the oven heat and myoglobin, which causes 

a red or pink color. It can also occur when vegetables 

containing nitrites are cooked along with the meat. 

Because doneness and safety cannot be judged by 

color, it is very important to use a food thermometer 

when cooking ground beef. To be sure all harmful 

bacteria are destroyed, cook raw ground beef to an 

internal temperature of 160°F as measured with a 

food thermometer.

9. What causes iridescent colors on 

meats?

Meat contains iron, fat, and other compounds. 

When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors 

like a rainbow. There are various pigments in meat 

compounds that can give it an iridescent or greenish 

cast when exposed to heat and processing. Wrapping 

the meat in airtight packages and storing it away 

from light will help prevent this situation. Iridescence 

does not represent decreased quality or safety of the 

meat. 

10. What causes grayish or green color 

on cured meats?

Exposure to light and oxygen causes oxidation to 

take place, which causes the breaking down of 

color pigments formed during the curing process. 

Chemicals in the cure and oxygen, as well as energy 

from ultraviolet and visible light, contribute to both 

the chemical breakdown and microbial spoilage of the 

product. Cure, such as nitrite, chemically changes the 

color of muscle. Curing solutions are colored in order 

to distinguish them from other ingredients (such as 

sugar or salt) used in fresh and cured meat products. 

For example, cured raw pork is gray, but cured 

cooked pork (e.g., ham) is light pink. 

THE COLOR OF POULTRY

11. What is the usual color of raw 

poultry?

Raw poultry can vary from a bluish-white to yellow. 

All of these colors are normal and are a direct result 

of breed, exercise, age, and/or diet. Younger poultry 

has less fat under the skin, which can cause the 

bluish cast, and the yellow skin could be a result of 

marigolds in the feed. 

12. What causes the differences in 

color of raw ground poultry?

Ground poultry varies in color according to the part 

being ground. Darker pink means more dark meat 

was used and a lighter pink means more white meat 

was included (or skin was included). Ground poultry 

can contain only muscle meat and skin with attached 

fat in proportion to the whole bird. 
Food Safety Questions?

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Reviewed October 2011

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Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

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13. What causes dark bones in cooked 

poultry?

Darkening of bones and meat around the bones 

occurs primarily in young (6-8 weeks) broilerfryer chickens. Since the bones have not calcified 

or hardened completely, pigment from the bone 

marrow seeps through the bones and into the 

surrounding area. Freezing can also contribute to 

this darkening. This is an aesthetic issue and not a 

safety one. The meat is safe to eat when all parts 

have reached a safe minimum internal temperature 

of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.

14. What color is safely cooked 

poultry?

Safely cooked poultry can vary in color from white to 

pink to tan. For safety when cooking poultry, use a 

food thermometer to check the internal temperature. 

For a whole chicken or turkey, check the internal 

temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and 

wing and the thickest part of the breast. All the 

meat-including any that remains pink—is safe to eat 

as soon as all parts reach at least 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

The Color of Meat and Poultry

15. Why is some cooked poultry pink?

Chemical changes occur during cooking. Oven gases 

in a heated gas or electric oven react chemically 

with hemoglobin in the meat tissues to give it a pink 

tinge. Often meat of younger birds shows the most 

pink because their thinner skins permit oven gases to 

reach the flesh. Older animals have a fat layer under 

their skin, giving the flesh added protection from the 

gases. Older poultry may be pink in spots where fat 

is absent from the skin. Also, nitrates and nitrites, 

which are often used as preservatives or may occur 

naturally in the feed or water supply used, can cause 

a pink color. 

16. If fully cooked smoked poultry is 

pink, is it safe?

Poultry grilled or smoked outdoors can be pink, 

even when all parts have attained temperatures well 

above 165 °F. as measured with a food thermometer.

There may be a pink-colored rim about one-half 

inch wide around the outside of the cooked product. 

Commercially prepared, smoked poultry is usually 

pink because it is prepared with natural smoke and 

liquid smoke flavor. 

If you have a question 

about meat, poultry, 

or egg products, call 

the USDA Meat and 

Poultry Hotline 

toll free at 

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The hotline is open

year-round

 Monday through Friday from 10 

a.m. to 4 p.m. ET (English 

or Spanish).

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messages are available 

24 hours a day. Check 

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