Why is pork considered
a "red" meat?
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. All livestock are considered "red meat."
