CO

That's carbon monoxide.

And unless you're a vegetarian you may have eaten some this week. Many meats in the typical supermarket have been packaged with the addition of this gas. Oh, yeah, it's also used with fresh tuna. The only thing the CO does is maintain the bright color of the meat. That's why it's there. And why would the industry do that? Well, most consumers associate color with freshness, that's why.

Unfortunately not everyone look at the "use by" dates on fresh food. But, everyone looks at the color of the food and thinks they can tell something about the freshness by that color.

That fact makes this statement by the director of the FDA's office of food additives almost totally incomprehensible:

“Color is not a good indicator” of freshness, claimed FDA’s Linda Tarantino, director of the office of food additives. “There are ways to tell meat is not fresh,” she said, discounting the importance of a product’s appearance on consumers’ buying decisions.26

“If we had evidence that consumers would be misled into buying meat that was spoiled because of the use of this technology, that is something we’d be concerned about,” Tarantino continued, noting that she was unaware of any studies showing consumers associate freshness with color.27

Here are a few of the studies she is unaware of:

"Consumer studies have shown that physical appearance of a retail cut in the display case is the most important factor determining retail selection of meat products.” –– Journal of Food Science, 197228

“Consumers view color as one of the most important attributes of fresh beef when making a decision to purchase retail product.” –– Colorado State University study, 200129

“Meat color is the main factor affecting beef product acceptability at retail points of purchase.” –– Journal of Animal Science, 199630

“Meat color is the single greatest appearance factor that determines whether or not a meat cut will be purchased.” –– National Pork Board/American Meat Science Association fact sheet31

This procedure has been banned by the EU.

What the hell is going on in this country?

This procedure has been banned by the EU.

What the hell is going on in this country?

Haven't read "In Defense of Food" yet, Chef?

Mark Lipton
(Somewhat relieved that they didn't choose to fix the color with cyanide instead)

This procedure has been banned by the EU.

What the hell is going on in this country?

Haven't read "In Defense of Food" yet, Chef?

Mark Lipton
(Somewhat relieved that they didn't choose to fix the color with cyanide instead)

Waiting for the price to come down on Amazon.

[David M. Bueker]

I just love all the outrage. The real problem is that the vast majority of the population is not interested in understanding the intricacies of food (or wine for that matter) and never have been. All the outrage in the world is not going to change that. Look at what most people eat and have eaten for a long time - this is nothing new). In a society where canned green beans are still sold (and bought) there's really not much hope.

I just love all the outrage. The real problem is that the vast majority of the population is not interested in understanding the intricacies of food (or wine for that matter) and never have been. All the outrage in the world is not going to change that. Look at what most people eat and have eaten for a long time - this is nothing new). In a society where canned green beans are still sold (and bought) there's really not much hope.

I, for one, wasn't expressing outrage. I thought I was being informative. Passing along a piece of information for those forumites who still think it fine to purchase supermarket meats. And I certainly wasn't talking to "the vast majority of the population" here in this forum.

[Jenise]

I thought I was being informative. Passing along a piece of information for those forumites who still think it fine to purchase supermarket meats.

The problem would seem to me to be the paucity of reasonable alternatives. Even those who would be unlikely to seek out higher quality groceries as you and I do often have few or no other options. The neighborhood butcher has virtually disappeared.

I have two neighborhood butchers and a farm that sells organic/grass-fed/etc. It's all quite pricey and not terribly convenient.

I think the answer, at least in re CO, is to read the label! Just like any product that I shop for....

I have two neighborhood butchers and a farm that sells organic/grass-fed/etc. It's all quite pricey and not terribly convenient.

I think the answer, at least in re CO, is to read the label! Just like any product that I shop for....

They're not required to indicate on the label that the food was packaged with carbon monoxide.

I thought I was being informative. Passing along a piece of information for those forumites who still think it fine to purchase supermarket meats.

The problem would seem to me to be the paucity of reasonable alternatives. Even those who would be unlikely to seek out higher quality groceries as you and I do often have few or no other options. The neighborhood butcher has virtually disappeared.

Here are two words I bet you thought you'd never hear from me. I agree. I don't think the price is as much a problem as availability. All folks would have to do is cut a couple of processed food items from their list and they could afford the sustainable product.

I remember when I was a kid and the butcher was on the same block I lived on. My mother sent me down there all the time. He would grind the beef to order, cut a steak right before you etc.

On the bright side, this kind of food is becoming more available. The CAFOs are getting nothing but bad publicity.

Here are two words I bet you thought you'd never hear from me. I agree. I don't think the price is as much a problem as availability. All folks would have to do is cut a couple of processed food items from their list and they could afford the sustainable product.

I remember when I was a kid and the butcher was on the same block I lived on. My mother sent me down there all the time. He would grind the beef to order, cut a steak right before you etc.

On the bright side, this kind of food is becoming more available. The CAFOs are getting nothing but bad publicity.

Higher petroleum prices may also help bring back the neighborhood butcher, baker, etc. The growing centralization of shopping (megasupermarkets, big package stores, malls, etc.) were in part a result of cheap gas. Add to that the diminishing price differential between conventional and organic foods owing to higher production costs for conventional agriculture, and you have two major inducements to shop locally, for locally grown food.

Mark Lipton

I think the answer, at least in re CO, is to read the label! Just like any product that I shop for....

They're not required to indicate on the label that the food was packaged with carbon monoxide.

I meant for the freshness date. (That's the thing here, right, that CO was keeping the meat redder longer and hence, misleading people about how fresh it is... but no one ever said the meat was mis-labelled.)

I meant for the freshness date. (That's the thing here, right, that CO was keeping the meat redder longer and hence, misleading people about how fresh it is... but no one ever said the meat was mis-labelled.)

Jeff, if CO is allowed and the purpose is to keep the meat looking fresh longer, are we sure that the freshness date can not be extended as well?

I meant for the freshness date. (That's the thing here, right, that CO was keeping the meat redder longer and hence, misleading people about how fresh it is... but no one ever said the meat was mis-labelled.)

Jeff, if CO is allowed and the purpose is to keep the meat looking fresh longer, are we sure that the freshness date can not be extended as well?

Numerous "expose" articles and TV segments have shown proof of some grocery store chains re-labelling meat after the expiration date to extend the expiration.

The best thing is to stick with suppliers you can trust. I would not trust the label at a place like Aldi.

I live in the 'burbs and always get a laugh when I see the soccer moms look at the beautiful, deep ruby colored fresh tuna in the fresh fish case and hear them say, "Ewww gross" and then see them push their carts over to the frozen fish freezers where they pick up vacuumed packed, artificially colored neon pink Tuna fillets.

I meant for the freshness date. (That's the thing here, right, that CO was keeping the meat redder longer and hence, misleading people about how fresh it is... but no one ever said the meat was mis-labelled.)

Jeff, if CO is allowed and the purpose is to keep the meat looking fresh longer, are we sure that the freshness date can not be extended as well?

Bob, if your question is whether CO will extend the shelf life, the answer is no. CO keeps the meat red by poisoning the hemoglobin in the meat and retarding the (natural) browning of the meat. It does nothing, though, about the bacteria resident on the meat, which will eventually lead to spoilage.

Mark Lipton

Bob, if your question is whether CO will extend the shelf life, the answer is no. CO keeps the meat red by poisoning the hemoglobin in the meat and retarding the (natural) browning of the meat. It does nothing, though, about the bacteria resident on the meat, which will eventually lead to spoilage.

Mark Lipton

Mark, I think my thoughts at posting were; that if the meat still looks fresh, would some, not all, grocers relabel and get another 3-4 days of full price sales from it. I think that a few will, but not a lot of them. Even if the grocer does put them in the marked down bin, a lot of it will be sold. I am more concerned with fish than with beef, chicken or pork, though there is concern there too. Does anyone know how long past the sell by date meat can still be legally offered?

I live in the 'burbs and always get a laugh when I see the soccer moms look at the beautiful, deep ruby colored fresh tuna in the fresh fish case and hear them say, "Ewww gross" and then see them push their carts over to the frozen fish freezers where they pick up vacuumed packed, artificially colored neon pink Tuna fillets.

But that "beautiful deep ruby" might well be fixed with CO. And the frozen might be the natural color (tuna flesh varies greatly by species and diet, not all are deep red). The majority of "fresh" tuna sold in US was frozen on board ship. Tuna is primarily a deep water fish, and those boats are out for weeks. Even at Tsukiji a lot (most) of the whole tuna are frozen solid (they cut with band saws). I don't buy frozen tuna, but sometimes it might be the better choice.

Certainly the best choice is a local market one can trust. But local and trust are not synonymous. It's not only chains that relabel -plenty of small shops do that, with less oversight.

I'm pretty happy with my choices for meat and seafood. I'm lucky to live in a place with numerous quality options. But Sunday I got worried we were running low on supplies at a big picnic we held in Bronx. I ran into a supermarket a mile or so from the section of Van Cortlandt Park to grab an extra 6 loaves of bread and a few lbs of turkey, pastrami, etc. I have to say if I was person with no car in that neighborhood I'd be very unhappy. Plus my willingness to pay a 20-100% premium for many items for what I percieve as a quality difference is fine, but what about the person who is spending 30+% of their income on food at the cheapest supermarkets- they flat out can't afford a premium for a quality butcher.

(edited for typo)

I thought I was being informative. Passing along a piece of information for those forumites who still think it fine to purchase supermarket meats.

The problem would seem to me to be the paucity of reasonable alternatives. Even those who would be unlikely to seek out higher quality groceries as you and I do often have few or no other options. The neighborhood butcher has virtually disappeared.

Here are two words I bet you thought you'd never hear from me. I agree. I don't think the price is as much a problem as availability. All folks would have to do is cut a couple of processed food items from their list and they could afford the sustainable product.

I remember when I was a kid and the butcher was on the same block I lived on. My mother sent me down there all the time. He would grind the beef to order, cut a steak right before you etc.

On the bright side, this kind of food is becoming more available. The CAFOs are getting nothing but bad publicity.

Chef,

When I was a boy in Brooklyn we still had chicken markets.

My mother would take me with her to select a chicken from the cages. After we made the selection, a worker took the chicken out of the cage and brought it into the back where all the deeds were done.

They always looked so damned skinny after all the feathers had been plucked, but they certainly were fresh chickens for dinner that night.

These days, the only thing I miss about no longer living in NYCity is the food shopping, which still is home to a few local butcher shops. I make up for it by growing my own produce--summer and winter; I erected a greenhouse--and by seeking local meats from Mennonite butchers nearby.

Dale,

Neon pink is not a natural color for tuna. As a matter of fact the package even says that color is added. But if you feel fine eating that more power to ya.

But that "beautiful deep ruby" might well be fixed with CO. And the frozen might be the natural color (tuna flesh varies greatly by species and diet, not all are deep red). The majority of "fresh" tuna sold in US was frozen on board ship. Tuna is primarily a deep water fish, and those boats are out for weeks. Even at Tsukiji a lot (most) of the whole tuna are frozen solid (they cut with band saws). I don't buy frozen tuna, but sometimes it might be the better choice.
(edited for typo)

Fish that is flash frozen at sea is actually very good but it isn't quite as good as really fresh. We used to get the ahi brought in on the small boats in Hawaii, still flipping around when I bought it, and there is nothing quite as good (especially for sashimi).

All of the tuna sold at sushi parlours is frozen, though and that presents quite well.

Dale,

Neon pink is not a natural color for tuna. As a matter of fact the package even says that color is added. But if you feel fine eating that more power to ya.

As I noted, I don't generally buy still-frozen tuna. Due to overfishing, I seldom buy tuna (I like too much to totally eliminate, mea culpa). When I do I typically buy in Japanese markets.
My point was that if you buy red-fleshed tuna, it has almost certainly been frozen on ship (unless you are buying in harbor from a sportsfisherman). Bluefin, yellowfin/ahi, bigeye are mostly in areas that make day boats impractical from continental US. So "fresh" has a funny meaning. Most soccer moms I know look for red color, but as pointed out that might be CO fixed.
If tuna has color added, I'd wonder if it was actually albacore (white fleshed). Bizarre that they would add an unnatural color, I'd shop elsewhere.

Bizarre that they would add an unnatural color, I'd shop elsewhere.

So Dale - do you buy margarine that is yellow.....and even if you just buy butter, IT can be manipulated for better colour by the addition of various dyes.

Hard to find anything 'pure' these days.

[Jenise]

Dale,

Neon pink is not a natural color for tuna. As a matter of fact the package even says that color is added. But if you feel fine eating that more power to ya.

As I noted, I don't generally buy still-frozen tuna. Due to overfishing, I seldom buy tuna (I like too much to totally eliminate, mea culpa). When I do I typically buy in Japanese markets.
My point was that if you buy red-fleshed tuna, it has almost certainly been frozen on ship (unless you are buying in harbor from a sportsfisherman). Bluefin, yellowfin/ahi, bigeye are mostly in areas that make day boats impractical from continental US. So "fresh" has a funny meaning. Most soccer moms I know look for red color, but as pointed out that might be CO fixed.
If tuna has color added, I'd wonder if it was actually albacore (white fleshed). Bizarre that they would add an unnatural color, I'd shop elsewhere.

I'm familiar with the neon pink David mentions. CO may be involved as well, but it's such an unnatural color that there simply has to be some dye added--these are always individual slices in vacuum sealed plastic. What might be going on is that the tuna is like our local tuna up here--naturally beige in color--so someone decided that if they dyed it pink to look like Japanese tuna, consumers would recognize it.

So Dale - do you buy margarine that is yellow.....and even if you just buy butter, IT can be manipulated for better colour by the addition of various dyes.
Hard to find anything 'pure' these days.

No margarine. We buy our butter mostly from Stew Leonards (large "dairy" store), I'd assume coloring is natural as it varies. Betsy also occasionally buys Plugra for baking. My personal favorite is Vermont Butter and Cheese, but no longer an outlet in my little town. We did a Butter Tasting a few years back
(on old FLDG I posted on a little series of unscientific "competitive" blind tastings Betsy and I subjected our friends to - hot dogs, olive oils, butters, salts, etc - inspired by Jenise's soy sauce tasting). The order was:
Isigny Ste. Mere Extra-fin (my 2nd)
Beurremont (got my 1st place vote)
Stew Leonards (my 3rd)
Plugra
Cabots
President

My surprise wasn't at coloring of tuna. It was that if they were going to trouble to color, that they couldn't fake it better.