Banning Carbon Monoxide in Meat

BANNING CARBON MONOXIDE IN MEAT -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 28, 2006)

SPEECH OF
HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO
OF CONNECTICUT
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2006

* Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing legislation that would ban the practice of injecting packages of meat with doses of carbon monoxide to give it an artificially fresh appearance. The sole purpose of this practice is to deceive consumers into purchasing and potentially eating meat that looks fresh, but could be spoiled.

* This week, the American Meat Institute announced the results of two studies claiming that carbon monoxide is safe to use in meat packages and urged opponents to concede their position and end the debate. Indeed, the carbon monoxide gas itself may be safe and would not cause harm to consumers. However, when the gas is injected to deceive customers into purchasing meat that could be months past its freshness date, then there is no doubt that it would be harmful to consumers.

* These studies released by AMI are an intriguing contribution to the debate. One of them was funded by the beef industry. The other study was conducted by an AMI ``expert consultant'' who has received numerous grants from AMI, and also received an AMI scientific achievement award. Therefore, the results of these studies should not calm consumer fears and definitely should not cause opponents of this practice to end the debate.

* In 2004, the USDA and FDA approved the use of carbon monoxide through an informal process without a full public comment process and without regulations specifying conditions of use. As a result, meat labels do not indicate whether meat has been treated with carbon monoxide--leaving no way for the consumer to know whether they are purchasing fresh meat.

* Meat producers explain that the carbon monoxide process is safe and that it helps cut costs that result from discarding meat that has begun to turn brown, but still is safe to eat. That certainly is an understandable position. However, ground beef treated with carbon monoxide still could have the appearance of being fresh months after its `sell-by' date. There also have been instances in the past where stores have misrepresented the freshness of their food long before the carbon monoxide process was introduced.

* Supporters of the carbon monoxide process explain that smell is a better indicator of spoilage than color and consumers should base their purchases on the `use or freeze by' date as the best guide. This is true; however, it should be noted that this date on meat packages is not based on any scientific or regulatory guidelines, but is determined by the industry. Also, why should consumers be subjected to the hassle of bringing meat home from the grocery store, opening the package to determine if it still is fresh, and returning it if it is spoiled?

* Canada, Japan, and the European Union already ban the use of carbon monoxide in meat packages. I look forward to working with you to also protect American consumers from this deceitful practice. During a time when we have begun to question the safety of prescription drugs, let's ensure that consumers do not have similar concerns about the food they buy.

http://thomas.loc.gov/