There’s been a lot of talk in the news the past cople of days about the use of carbon monoxide on meat. The chemical is used in place of regular air in the sealed pacakges of beef and other meats to help retain the rosy color for many days longer than convential packaging methods.
The idea is that people don’t want to buy meat that is brown, even if it isn’t spoiled. People use the red color to determine that meat is fresh. Brown meat means it’s been exposed to oxygen; it won’t always make you sick. The process of pumping carbon monoxide onto meat has been approved since 2004, but Michigan company Kalsec has filed a petition to reverse the decision.
Consumer advocates say that people will be fooled by the pink meats and might end up buying spoiled or tainted meat without knowing it.
Of course, that’s one of the reasons meat has sell-by dates on it. Just look at the label and you’ll know if the meat shouldn’t be purchased. And when you get it home you can always smell it before you cook it. If it doesn’t smell like something you’d want to eat, then don’t eat it.
The New York Times did its own study comparing carbon monoxide laced meat to other meats and found that it wouldn’t turn brown even when left on the counter for nearly a week.
Nobody’s saying people will lose common sense and think unrefrigerated meat is good because it’s still pink. But many people are saying you can’t trust sell-by dates. So if you eat meat and shop at one of the many stores using this kind of packaging (including Wal-Mart and SuperTarget, and most stores that don’t have their own butchers) be aware of the possibility of spoilage even with a red color and check those expiration dates!