| You are planning a terrific barbecue this | | | | SuperFresh, Kroger, Publix, Stop & Shop, |
| weekend and fresh sirloins on the grill are | | | | A&P, Wegmans and Whole Foods.During my |
| on your menu. Pictures yourself going to the | | | | younger years, I actually knew a person who |
| grocery store and finding the most beautiful, | | | | worked in a butcher shop and learned much |
| pink, juicy cuts of meat… Does that | | | | more than I really wanted to know about beef |
| mean they are fresh? Not necessarily… | | | | liver, chicken necks and other meats… |
| It has come to the attention of the FDA that | | | | So, I feel that there is a real need to |
| a lot of local grocery stores are now | | | | dispel the American perception of fresh meat. |
| treating their meats with carbon monoxide to | | | | When your meat (such as a beef chuck roll or |
| keep their meat looking fresher longer. This | | | | sirloin tip) arrives at your butcher, the |
| debate is sizzling within Congress and the | | | | meat itself is not pink nor is it brown. |
| FDA almost as hot as a grill on a sweltering | | | | It’s more of a dark reddish color and |
| summer day.The public assumption is that the | | | | extremely juicy (bloody). Once the package of |
| pinker the meat is, the fresher the cut and | | | | meat is open, the first cuts are the same |
| this is absolutely untrue. This human | | | | dark red color. Once air hits the meat, |
| assumption is what grocery stores are | | | | primarily the natural carbon monoxide that is |
| counting on to increase their lackluster meat | | | | found in your breathing air, the meat begins |
| sales. Following such “meat | | | | to turn the common pink color we are used |
| scares” as mad cow disease and the | | | | to.This process normally takes approximately |
| avian flu in chickens which have decreased | | | | twelve hours. Your meat is packaged in |
| meat sales throughout the United States, the | | | | plastic wrap and after a twelve hour period |
| only way that these butchers have to combat | | | | begins to turn the brownish color that is |
| the lack of sales is to increase the shelf | | | | associated with meat “turning |
| life of the meat that is cut. It is a fact | | | | bad”. Does this mean the meat is bad? |
| that meat that has been cut will begin to | | | | Maybe… but most likely not. Sometimes, |
| turn brown as it starts to “go | | | | simply the fluorescent lighting that is |
| bad”. The use of carbon monoxide turns | | | | commonly used in grocery stores will cause |
| the meat a bright pink which can last up to | | | | discoloration in the meat. The best way to |
| 10 days at 50 degrees. Does this mean that | | | | check is by leaning the package over and |
| the meat is still good? Absolutely not! But | | | | checking the color of the |
| that isn’t what the American Meat | | | | “juice”. The “juice” |
| Institute is saying. However, the FDA and a | | | | should be bright red and not dark brown. In |
| number of other consumer groups do not feel | | | | summary, the freshest cuts of meat will be |
| that enough testing has been done to verify | | | | dark red in color with very bright blood and |
| its safety.Many consumer groups are pushing a | | | | a piece of meat that isn’t fresh will |
| bill in Congress to ban carbon monoxide | | | | be grayish brown in color and the blood will |
| treatment to meat until more FDA testing has | | | | be a brownish red.While shopping for your |
| been done. In the meantime, there are a | | | | great sirloin steak this weekend, be sure to |
| number of grocery chains that refuse to use | | | | ask your local butcher if the meat that they |
| carbon monoxide treated meat. These stores | | | | are selling is treated or not. |
| include Wal-Mart, Acme, Food Lion, | | | | |