November 14, 2007

Target Corporation to label carbon monoxide-treated meat

Under pressure from congressional Democrats, supermarket retailer Target Corporation is seeking government approval to add a consumer warning to labels of meat treated with carbon monoxide to keep it looking red and fresh.

Target's move follows announcements by several supermarket chains, including Safeway Inc. and Ahold NV's Giant Food and Stop & Shop stores, and meat and poultry processor Tyson Foods Inc., the nation's largest, that they would stop selling meat treated with carbon monoxide, a gas deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration. It also follows congressional inquiries into the safety of a wide range of food products.

This year, big companies received letters from House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell and committee member Bart Stupak, both Michigan Democrats who have led opposition to the use of carbon monoxide on meat.

Representative Dingell said last month that colour the basis in determining the freshness of meat and treating meat with "carbon monoxide can deceive consumers into thinking meat is fresher than it truly is."

Target, which sells packaged meat in 210 of its 1,537 stores, sent a letter Friday (November 9) to the Agriculture Department seeking permission to add a warning to meat labels. The proposed label states: "CONSUMER NOTICE: Carbon monoxide has been used to preserve the colour of this product. Do not rely on colour or the 'use or freeze by' date alone to judge the freshness of the product. For best results please follow the Safe Handling Instructions." That language is similar to disclosure wording in bills introduced by Messrs. Dingell and Stupak.

The FDA allows the use of carbon monoxide on meat, poultry and seafood, putting it in a category called Generally Recognized As Safe. Regulators elsewhere are stricter; the European Union, for example, doesn't allow companies to use carbon monoxide to treat meat.

The meat industry has generally supported the use of carbon monoxide, saying it is limited and poses no public-health risk.