Color Confusion: Is Pork Red Meat?

Virtually all dietary studies categorize four-legged land animals such as pork, beef and lamb as "red meat" poultry and fish as "white meat"and yet, in culinary or cultural contexts, pork or veal is often considered a white meat and duck or goose may be classified as red.

See more on the "pork red meat" question:
Is pork considered a red meat?
Is pork red meat

COLOR CONFUSION: IS PORK RED MEAT?

Is pork considered a red meat?

Q: "why is pork considered a red meat?

A: Oxygen is delivered to muscles by the red cells in the blood. One of the proteins in meat, myoglobin, holds the oxygen in the muscle. The amount of myoglobin in animal muscles determines the color of meat.

 Pork is classified a "red" meat because it contains more myoglobin than chicken or fish.

 When fresh pork is cooked, it becomes lighter in color, but it is still a red meat. Pork is classed as "livestock" along with veal, lamb and beef.

 Is pork red meat: All livestock are considered "red meat."

Is pork considered a red meat

Is pork bad for you

In the world of natural, real food lovers, pork is a contentious subject! On one side, you’ve got people zealously arguing against pork because it’s not kosher or halal, and surely God had a reason for withholding it from His people. They cite a few studies that demonstrate that eating pork causes adverse reactions in the body, and the arguments aren’t without merit. On the other hand, you’ve got traditional cultures like the long-lived Okinawans for whom pork is a dietary mainstay — providing meat and cooking fat. And, of course, there’s the weight of the European agricultural heritage, where every home and small farm had a pig because pigs could do miracles — turn waste into fertilizer for gardens and food for us.

So, where was the truth? Is pork bad for you? Is it really unhealthy? Or is it a good, traditional food that’s an integral part of every self-sustaining homestead... continue reading: Is Pork Bad For You 

Is pork bad for you or should you eat pork? 3 out of 5 experts say yes—but with a lot of caveats...  Should I Eat Pork- Time

 

Is pork red meat

Pork is considered a red meat.

White meat or light meat refers to the lighter-colored meat of poultry as contrasted with dark meat. In a more general sense, white meat may also refer to any lighter-colored meat, as contrasted with red meats like beef and some types of game.

Given nutritional concerns, meat producers are eager to have their products considered white meat, and the United States National Pork Board has positioned their product as "Pork. The Other White Meat", alongside poultry and fish; however, meats which are red when raw and turn white on cooking, like pork, are categorized by the United States Department of Agriculture as red meats if the myoglobin level reaches above 65%

This categorization is controversial as some types of fish, such as tuna, are red when raw and turn white when cooked; similarly, certain types of poultry that are sometimes grouped as "white meat" are actually "red" when raw, such as duck and goose. In contrast, the USDA considers all meat from mammals to be "red meat."

In Israel, where Jewish dietary laws are popularly practiced, forbidding the consumption of pork, "white meat" is the accepted euphemism for pork.

However, Commonly, especially in gastronomy, red meat is red when raw and not pale in color when cooked, in contrast to white meat, which is pale in color before and after cooking. This definition only refers to flesh from mammals or fowl.

In nutritional science red meat is defined as any meat that has more myoglobin than a white meat, white meat being defined as non dark meat from chicken (excluding leg or thigh), or fish. Some meats, pork for example, are red meats using the nutritional definition and white meats using the common definition.

In the mid 80's, when health-conscience consumers decided that red meat was unhealthy, the pork industry lost sales dramatically. In an effort to regain lost ground, the Pork Council started a catchy and attractive campaign ("The other white meat") in 1987.  The campaign worked and the demand for pork quickly rose. 

In fact, today's pork prices rise at a rate faster than the cost of living inflation.  During the shift of perception, though, people began to refer to it as a white meat rather than a red meat (9 out of 10 people recognize the slogan).

  

Is pork red meat