Why the difference in spoilage times?
November 4, 2010 11:40 PM Subscribe
Why does meat go bad quicker than vegetables/fruit?
posted by Hactar to Science & Nature (16 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
If you leave meat out on the counter for a day, you have to throw it out, at least according to the FDA. Fruit and veggies you can leave out for days at a time and they'll stay good, if not quite as fresh. Kept cold (not frozen), meat lasts a couple of days, fruit and vegetables close to a week, depending on the plant part in question.
What is it in the biological/chemical makeup of animal flesh that makes it more susceptible to decay than plant flesh?