Customer discovers green-coloured flesh inside Coles chicken breast

The supermarket insists that the meat is safe to eat

(Facebook: Jamie Ferguson

A customer who purchased chicken breasts from a supermarket claims she won’t shop there again after discovering that part of the meat had turned a disgusting shade of green.

Jamie Ferguson, from Melbourne, Australia, bought the RSPCA-approved chicken from Northcote Place and, after discovering the curious colour, shared an image of the meat on Coles’ Facebook page.

“Upon cooking dinner tonight, we opened a packet of four chicken breasts to separate. We added one to a tray of roast veggies we were in the process of cooking, and bagged the rest to freeze. On the last one, this is what we see,” she wrote.

“Absolutely disgusting! It is still within its expiry date. We could have gotten so sick had we not seen this before eating tonight's dinner!!! Outraged. We will not be buying from Coles after this.”

Despite the alarming colour of the chicken breasts, the supermarket claims that the meat is safe to eat.

A spokesperson for Coles told news.com.au that the green flesh is known as deep pectoral myopathy (DPM) and is usually the result of a “bird flapping its wings too much”.

They added that Ferguson has been contacted and offered a full refund or replacement.

The customer made a public complaint to the supermarket on social media (Facebook: Jamie Ferguson)

“DMP is a green discoloration of the flesh caused when swelling occurs as a result of oxygen deficiency in the muscle,” the spokesperson said.

“This usually happens from the bird flapping its wings too much. It is not harmful to eat and the taste of the chicken would not be altered.”

However, this isn’t the first time chicken from Coles has faced criticism.

In 2016, rumours that meat from the supermarket looked as though it had “gangrene” were going viral on social media. Claims that Coles said was also the result of DPM.

According to Poultry World, DPM or “green muscle disease” is caused by vigorously exercised muscle and a lack of oxygen due to improper blood supply.

This can cause the breast muscles to become enlarged with streaks of white to green, which can result in trimming and downgrading in the processing plant.