CSU Meat Scientist Takes on $4 Billion Beef Waste Problem

A Fort Collins-based Colorado State University meat scientist is teaming with Loveland-based Meyer Natural Foods and national beef groups to tackle cosmetic meat browning that drives millions of pounds of still-safe beef into the trash and costs U.S. grocers nearly $4 billion annually.

Reducing waste from slightly brown beef could significantly cut Northern Colorado's food waste stream and grocery losses while easing pressure on landfills and resources.

Mahesh Nair, an associate professor of animal sciences at CSU, is investigating three things: consumer behavior, alternative packaging options, and the role bacteria play in meat discoloration. His work could stop retailers from throwing away safe beef that has browned slightly.

In a recent study involving Nair, researchers estimated that $2.55 billion is lost annually when discolored meat is discarded from U.S. retail stores, with an additional $1.18 billion in losses from stores needing to discount prices.

Yet most slightly discolored beef remains perfectly safe to consume—color alone is not an indicator of spoilage.

Scott Howard, director of quality assurance and process improvement at Meyer Natural Foods in Loveland, emphasized the industry's growing awareness. "This is a major challenge, and retailers are really starting to recognize this," Howard said. "Having people like Mahesh working on the science and, more importantly, understanding consumer perception, is critical to solving this problem."

"I hope by the end of my career I'll have made a real dent in this," Nair said, noting he has researched the issue extensively since arriving at CSU in 2017.

Each year, approximately one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted, according to CSU. Meat is especially resource-intensive and perishable, making beef waste a logical place to cut waste and resource use.

Larimer County's landfill received roughly 35,000 tons of food waste in 2016, representing 10 percent of the county's total waste stream that year, according to the county's 2018 Solid Waste Infrastructure Master Plan.

Consumer studies show that 20 percent surface discoloration on a steak causes shoppers to consider alternatives, while 40 percent discoloration typically results in outright rejection.

Howard noted that moving away from traditional Styrofoam tray packaging used for most ground beef could have transformative environmental and financial benefits. "There is no single thing we could do that would have a bigger impact than this change that Mahesh is investigating," Howard said.

Nair is now collaborating with the National Cattleman's Beef Association on a nationwide consumer survey to dig deeper into meat color preferences and waste reduction strategies.