Originally Posted by
super807
So sorry this happened to you. Am glad you recovered from the food poisoning. Food poisoning is something truly horrible to experience.
Last year I watched an episode of CBC's Marketplace where they investigated the practices of grocery stores with their meat. It was pretty unnerving to watch, as it seemed pretty clear that some stores adjust the date on their packaging when they re-wrap it, for various reasons. Not all stores do this, but it appears that it may be common practice at some :(
I have often bought deeply discounted meat that has a best before date of the next day. I've had no problems to date (have done this at my YIG and my RCSS, which both seem to be well managed stores). That said, I always repackage my meat into Ziplocs before freezing. Gives me the opportunity to check everything out, and return if necessary. The only time I've had bad meat from the store, it was well ahead of the best before date. I returned it right away, no problem.
One thing I have noticed is that meat that is in cryovac packaging will release a bad smell for a few seconds right after you open the packaging. But the smell dissipates quickly, which doesn't happen if the meat is bad. It's the packaging causing the smell. I now buy my beef and pork directly from the farmer. My beef farmer's product is in cryovac packaging, and has that smell when first opened, but it goes away quickly. There is no problem with the quality of that meat.