Dented cans, smashed boxes, faded meat and poultry, these are all reasons to put a product back on the shelf after picking it up during a grocery trip. All it takes is one look. And while these aesthetic observations are not necessarily indicative of quality or safety, they often are reason to send the product to the department of misfit foods. "Retaining color is imperative to a product's freshness appeal," says Jerry Moehn, senior meat technologist with Wixon, St. Francis, Wisconsin. "When faced with the choice between a bright, vibrant, oxygen-rich product and a pale, oxidized product, consumers will naturally gravitate to the bright, vibrant product."
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