Choosing Avoid meat that is heavily marbled. Marbled meat is veined with fat. Look for moistness and bright color. Pink meat is a sign of freshness, although vacuum-packed meats may look slightly purplish for lack of exposure to air. Check labels on ground meat.
Most stores carry several qualities of ground beef, with varying percentages of fat by weight.
Look for packages with the lowest percentage. Storing Keep meat cold. Keep meat loosely wrapped in its store packaging in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Use whole cuts within 3 to 4 days and ground meat within 2 days of purchase. Freeze meat in store packaging.