What you're REALLY eating: the shocking truth about supermarket meat they don't want you to know.

The illusion of freshness

That vibrant red color in beef? It's not always a sign of freshness. Meat is often treated with gases like carbon monoxide or packaged in modified atmospheres to maintain that attractive color for much longer than it would naturally. While this doesn't necessarily make it unsafe, it can lead you to believe the meat is fresher than it actually is.

Similarly, chicken that looks pink and juicy may have been stored in cold storage for days — or even weeks — before reaching the shelves.