WASHINGTON: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is examining the prevailing meat packaging process that uses traces of carbon monoxide gas in order to retain the natural color of the meat and to prevent the meat from shrinking.
The Consumer Federation of America had urged the government in January to prohibit this practice. Kalsec Inc., which has developed an alternative method using natural food extracts, had submitted a citizen's petition earlier.
The FDA had earlier ruled that using the gas on fresh meat is generally regarded as safe. The agency as well as the U.S. department of agriculture had approved its use in 2002, as it preserves color pigments in fresh meat.
FDA's director at its Office of Food Additives Safety Laura Tarantino says the agency is yet to find any evidence to show that use of carbon monoxide in meat packaging is less safe than meat not treated. She maintained that the gas, harmless in the levels being used, "was as safe as if the carbon monoxide was not used.''
She defended the FDA's decision to classify it as "generally recognized as safe," which permitted the meat packaging firms to use the gas without seeking any FDA approval.
The meat industry is defending the use of the gas, saying large sums of money are wasted when sellers throw away meat that is still safe to eat but is not bought by consumers because it is slightly brown.
Consumer groups agree that carbon monoxide by itself is not a health risk, but meat buyers will be carried away by the color of the meat that is made possible by the gas rather that the expiry dates. The Consumer Federation of America told the FDA that carbon monoxide masks the natural coloration of meat by reacting with myoglobin in the meat and producing a bright red color. The artificial color has been found to last 'beyond the time of spoilage,' thus masking the true color and freshness of meat packaged with carbon monoxide."
Kalsec, which has represented the case before FDA, says carbon monoxide-treated meat could be left exposed at home for several days, but it would still look bright red and fresh. It says carbon monoxide suppresses bad odors and the presence of slime and other telltale signs of spoiled meat. It can also hide the growth of pathogens.
Kalsec argues that the FDA does not have the legal authority to permit the use of carbon monoxide in fresh meat packaging because it is an unapproved and prohibited color additive.
Tarantino said the FDA is considering Kalsec's petition, along with documents filed by meat interests opposed to Kalsec's claim that carbon monoxide should be considered a "color additive."
