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