Weight of meat at store vs weight at home

[teller80]

I don't know if I never noticed it before or if it just started happening, but lately when I buy meat/chicken from Giant Eagle when I get it home the weight on the package doesn't seem to be what I weight it at.

I'll buy 4 lbs of chicken breasts or hamburger intending to put them into four one-pound serving sizes and freeze them, but I do not get 4 lbs out of it.

I thought about taking the package to the butcher and having them weigh it (it should weigh a little more as stated, right?) or weighing it myself on that scale at the checkout counter.

If I'm correct, what should I do? Or do you have other suggestions? thanks!

 

[davper]

Are you taking into account the juices that have seeped out of the meat?

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you're concerned, I'd weigh it at the store. Put it in a produce plastic bag and weigh it at the produce department scales...then you'll know for sure yourself...

 

[MamaBelle4]

Weigh it yourself at the store, take it to the butcher and ask them why the discrepancy.

If they try to tell you the scale out front isn't calibrated right, take it home, weigh it in package and take a picture of the result then contact customer service.

We pay too much per pound of meat as it is, no sense in paying for what isn't there. My fav place to get meat near us has a scale with the weight on both my side and theirs, so I can see exactly how much I'm getting.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I was shopping at my local grocery store, not my choice place for meat, and the package seemed off to me. Usually if something says 5 pounds, I'll say, sure that feels about right. But when I picked up the package, it seemed off so I took it to the counter, and it was off by a lot.

If I had had my kiddos with me, distracting me, I would've just thrown it in th cart without a second thought and I'm sure a lot of people would've too. Mistakes happen, but if it seems to be routinely off, I would investigate it further before I bought anything else from their butcher.

 

[scrapquitler]

Pre-packaged like the frozen chicken breasts that come from Tysons factory or packages of meat packaged by the butcher in-store??

I would expect the packages packed in store to be very close to right with a tiny variance for evaporation of liquids.

Pre-packaged in the factory, especially things that are of various sizes like IQF chicken breasts, I would expect a larger variation because they can never give you exactly 5 lbs, just like that 3 lb bag of apples or 5 lb bag of potatoes is never going to be exact...but I'm sure there is some standard variance (maybe something like a 5lb bag will have at least 4.75 lb but not more than 5.25lb)

The latter, you can't do anything about except contact the packer. The in-store butcher stuff, I'd be all over and talking directly to the meat department manager, the store manager, and possibly my state department of consumer protections weights and measurements division, because their scales are supposed to be tested and regulated by that department.

 

[Hiitsme]

Walmart adds water to their "fresh" meats. The label states added vitamins and nutrients, and I guess that means H2O. I'm not sure if other stores do the same, but they should be required to label it. What really gets me is the little sprayer thingys in the produce department. This added water makes the veggys weigh more and rot faster. Farmer's Markets here I come!

 

[dbrn]

My husband had this same thing happen to him recently, but he was still at the store. He picked up a package of ground beef that obviously (to him) did not weigh as much as the label indicated. He found another package, and thought the same. Went to the manager and they found that the scale wasn't calibrated, each package was off by 3/4 lb. She had them pull all of the meat in the case to re-weigh and re-label the packages. I still think that's a pretty big discrepancy for them not to have noticed before, so I wonder if it was intentional.

Like another poster suggested, I'd weigh it myself in the produce section, then take it to the butcher or manager to ask about the discrepancy.

 

[MomToOne]

First, you need to be sure your home scale is correct - use a 5 lb bag of sugar or flour. If that's off, then there's your problem. (Note that this isn't a perfect check - for that you need an actual weight - but is should be close enough.)

If you home scale seems to be calibrated correctly, then pick a meat that loses less water - such as a thick steak or ground beef, and see if your weight matches the store. If it doesn't, then go speak with the Manager of the store and let them know what you've found

The problem with chicken breasts and pork chops are all the water they pump into those things, as PPs have said. The water seeps out while they are in the packaging, so the meat weighs less by the time you get it home - you have to also weigh all that liquid to see if the weight matches the stores.

 

[LilyWDW]

I have never had that issue and I do the same as you do. There may be a small difference, but I figure that has to do with scale calibrations and other variables.

 

[Disneyliscious]

I am a butcher of nearly 30 years, so I can shed some light on this issue.

Two of the most likely scenarios are the scales being calibrated incorrectly or the consumer not accurately accounting for fluid.

Keep in mind that 1 cup of water weighs 8 ounces. Though it may not look like it, its very easy for a large package of meat to contain 1 cup of water. If you're paying $4.99/lb for meat, you're also paying $4.99/lb for water (which is usually labeled as "juices" because it contains the natural draining's of the meat as well). Its quite common for large packers to add water to meat (for various reasons) though you'll often find much more than is needed because, its pretty much free money on their end. If you've ever bought chicken quarters, you'll notice the kidneys are always left in. As small as they are, when you sell millions of chicken quarters, those little kidneys add up in weight for the packer and weight = money. The "tails" are also left on as well.

If you want to avoid paying for "added water", you'll likely need to visit a local butcher shop who cuts the meat in front of you or wraps it in butcher paper so that you can see no water is added. Also keep in mind, the fresher the meat, the more natural juices it will have. These juices (which are basically blood and plasma) will drain out in packaging and it can be quite a bit. As humans, our bodies are made up of 50%-75% water. This is true of animals as well. If you let a pack of ground beef sit a few days you will notice it drains more than a pack of steaks of the same weight. This is because ground meat can't age the same as a steak so its had less time for the juices to drain out. Its not uncommon at all for steaks to be 4 to 6 weeks old when you buy them. Ground beef must be sold within a few days of being ground.

So there is a lot going on which could result in what you are experiencing but at the end of the day, unless you buy from a local butcher shop or store who will custom cut your meat, you will be paying for water that you don't need.

 

[tvguy]

Walmart adds water to their "fresh" meats. The label states added vitamins and nutrients, and I guess that means H2O. I'm not sure if other stores do the same, but they should be required to label it. What really gets me is the little sprayer thingys in the produce department. This added water makes the veggys weigh more and rot faster. Farmer's Markets here I come!

Our regular market does that too, most often though with the store brand chicken and turkey. It is clearly labeled, and I suspect since salt is usually the prime thing they add, it is to make the meat last longer. The brand name chicken, Foster Farms in particular, usually does not do this.