Kalsec Asks Congress to Address Carbon Monoxide in Meat
Source: Kalsec, Inc.
November 28, 2006
Regulatory Inaction Exposes Consumers to Deception and Potential Meat Spoilage, Company Says
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a new filing with two federal agencies, Kalsec, Inc. of Kalamazoo, Mich., today urged Congress to ban the unlawful use of carbon monoxide in fresh meat packaging if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) fail to stop the practice.
Kalsec's call for congressional action is consistent with the viewpoint of consumers based on a national opinion survey of 1,019 men and women conducted for the Consumer Federation of America by the Opinion Research Corporation in early September. When asked whether the practice of treating red meat with carbon monoxide is deceptive or not, 78 percent of consumers surveyed said the practice is deceptive, and 68 percent said they would strongly support a law to make it mandatory that meat treated with carbon monoxide be labeled.
"Despite Kalsec's Citizen Petition urging FDA to put an immediate stop to the unlawful use of carbon monoxide in fresh meat, continuing agency inaction means that carbon monoxide-treated meat still is being sold to consumers under conditions that can mask spoilage. Since the product labeling does not tell consumers whether the red appearance of the meat results from the use of carbon monoxide, consumers may be purchasing such meat unknowingly," said Don Berdahl, Chief Scientist for Kalsec. "The FDA and USDA each have the authority and information necessary to put a stop to this practice now. The Kalsec petition has been pending for more than 12 months. If the federal agencies fail to act, the new Congress should step in and exercise its oversight authority on behalf of consumers."
Berdahl commented after Kalsec filed its fourth submission in just over a year with the FDA and the USDA. The submission, filed on November 20, 2006, asks that the agencies use their authorities to disallow this practice, once and for all. Kalsec's filing with the FDA and USDA is in response to comments by proponents of carbon monoxide-treated meat that disregard long-standing food regulations designed to protect consumers and maintain a safe food supply.
It is precisely because of the potential for carbon monoxide to mask the appearance of aging or spoilage and promote consumer deception that FDA regulations expressly prohibit the use of carbon monoxide-containing gas in "fresh meat products." Additionally, USDA regulations prohibit the introduction of ingredients in fresh meat that function to conceal damage or inferiority, or give the appearance the product is of better or greater value than it is.
In its filing, Kalsec refuted claims of carbon monoxide proponents that fail to cite supportive laws or objective, peer-reviewed science in propagating a process that colors fresh meat and puts consumers at risk of deception.
"The evidence is overwhelming -- we believe that treating meat with carbon monoxide is deceptive and potentially unsafe. There's no reason in the world why the government should allow this practice to go on one more day," added Berdahl. "To make matters worse, the packages aren't labeled to disclose the use of carbon monoxide so consumers cannot tell when the meat they are buying has been treated with it, or when the reddish color of the meat they see is the result of carbon monoxide -- simulating the look of fresh meat. We would call this a no win situation for consumers, and we fail to see how placing consumers at a disadvantage in this way could result in 'consumer benefits,' as the carbon monoxide proponents have claimed."
The submission focuses on three key points:
First, that the law has been ignored. Allowing carbon monoxide in fresh meat, particularly without a label to inform consumers what has been done to their meat and for what purpose, violates established law and regulations. "This flies in the face of 100 years of meat regulation, beginning with the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act and the 1906 Meat Inspection Act, that recognize the highly sensitive nature of meat and the need for stringent government oversight," said Berdahl.
Second, consumers' ability to judge freshness is hampered. "Because the type of packaging used eliminates the possibility that smell or touch can help consumers judge the meat's freshness, they have no way other than appearance to judge the meat. Take away color, and all you have left is blind faith," added Berdahl. "Consumers have a right to know what's being added to meat when it materially alters the finished product that consumers are buying."
Carbon monoxide proponents have pointed to a Texas Tech study as evidence that consumers can tell from its "unpleasant odor" when carbon monoxide treated meat is no longer safe for consumption, despite its reddish color. What the carbon monoxide proponents ignore, however, is that, consumers cannot detect any unpleasant odor from packaged meat when making a purchasing decision, and at best, would be discernable only after the consumer has purchased the meat and opened the package. Dr. J. Chance Brooks, the study's lead researcher, recognized that consumers cannot reasonably rely on odor to determine the freshness of packaged meat before purchase, stating, "What you'll find is that the meat may look good in the store, but once someone gets it home and peels the wrapping off, they'll know it has spoiled by the smell." In essence, what consumers think they are buying in the store, may not turn out that way once they get the package home and unwrap it, which could be days away or weeks away if stored in the freezer.
Third, the risk of harm to consumers is amplified by the extended shelf- life representations that are reflected in the use-by dates that appear on carbon monoxide-treated meat packages. While the average shelf life of conventionally packaged meat is approximately 4-5 days, and the shelf life of case ready meats without CO averages 10-12 days, for carbon monoxide-treated ground beef claimed shelf life extends as long as 28 days, and for CO-treated whole muscle cuts claimed shelf life extends as long as 35 days, according to GRAS notifications that were submitted to FDA. In contrast to these claims, the Texas Tech study reported odors signaling spoilage after 14 days in carbon monoxide-treated meat. Notably, these results occurred in meat that was stored in a laboratory display case in which storage conditions would reasonably be expected to support a relatively longer shelf life than would the real world storage conditions in which some fluctuation of temperatures can be anticipated as the product is distributed and stored for retail sale. Similarly, as reflected in findings reported by Consumer Reports in July, 2006 and separate findings from limited tests conducted by S&J Laboratories in Kalsec-sponsored studies, unacceptable levels of spoilage organisms have been detected in certain carbon monoxide-treated meat samples prior to the use- or freeze-by date. Although the available data represent a limited number of product samples, they suggest that prompt action by FDA and USDA is needed, as Kalsec has advocated. These data were filed with FDA and USDA in submissions made on June 14, 2006.
The full submission can be found at
http://www.co-meat.com/Kalsec_November_2006_filing.PDF.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Kalsec, Inc.
biz.yahoo.com
Source: Kalsec, Inc.
November 28, 2006
Regulatory Inaction Exposes Consumers to Deception and Potential Meat Spoilage, Company Says
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a new filing with two federal agencies, Kalsec, Inc. of Kalamazoo, Mich., today urged Congress to ban the unlawful use of carbon monoxide in fresh meat packaging if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) fail to stop the practice.
Kalsec's call for congressional action is consistent with the viewpoint of consumers based on a national opinion survey of 1,019 men and women conducted for the Consumer Federation of America by the Opinion Research Corporation in early September. When asked whether the practice of treating red meat with carbon monoxide is deceptive or not, 78 percent of consumers surveyed said the practice is deceptive, and 68 percent said they would strongly support a law to make it mandatory that meat treated with carbon monoxide be labeled.
"Despite Kalsec's Citizen Petition urging FDA to put an immediate stop to the unlawful use of carbon monoxide in fresh meat, continuing agency inaction means that carbon monoxide-treated meat still is being sold to consumers under conditions that can mask spoilage. Since the product labeling does not tell consumers whether the red appearance of the meat results from the use of carbon monoxide, consumers may be purchasing such meat unknowingly," said Don Berdahl, Chief Scientist for Kalsec. "The FDA and USDA each have the authority and information necessary to put a stop to this practice now. The Kalsec petition has been pending for more than 12 months. If the federal agencies fail to act, the new Congress should step in and exercise its oversight authority on behalf of consumers."
Berdahl commented after Kalsec filed its fourth submission in just over a year with the FDA and the USDA. The submission, filed on November 20, 2006, asks that the agencies use their authorities to disallow this practice, once and for all. Kalsec's filing with the FDA and USDA is in response to comments by proponents of carbon monoxide-treated meat that disregard long-standing food regulations designed to protect consumers and maintain a safe food supply.
It is precisely because of the potential for carbon monoxide to mask the appearance of aging or spoilage and promote consumer deception that FDA regulations expressly prohibit the use of carbon monoxide-containing gas in "fresh meat products." Additionally, USDA regulations prohibit the introduction of ingredients in fresh meat that function to conceal damage or inferiority, or give the appearance the product is of better or greater value than it is.
In its filing, Kalsec refuted claims of carbon monoxide proponents that fail to cite supportive laws or objective, peer-reviewed science in propagating a process that colors fresh meat and puts consumers at risk of deception.
"The evidence is overwhelming -- we believe that treating meat with carbon monoxide is deceptive and potentially unsafe. There's no reason in the world why the government should allow this practice to go on one more day," added Berdahl. "To make matters worse, the packages aren't labeled to disclose the use of carbon monoxide so consumers cannot tell when the meat they are buying has been treated with it, or when the reddish color of the meat they see is the result of carbon monoxide -- simulating the look of fresh meat. We would call this a no win situation for consumers, and we fail to see how placing consumers at a disadvantage in this way could result in 'consumer benefits,' as the carbon monoxide proponents have claimed."
The submission focuses on three key points:
First, that the law has been ignored. Allowing carbon monoxide in fresh meat, particularly without a label to inform consumers what has been done to their meat and for what purpose, violates established law and regulations. "This flies in the face of 100 years of meat regulation, beginning with the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act and the 1906 Meat Inspection Act, that recognize the highly sensitive nature of meat and the need for stringent government oversight," said Berdahl.
Second, consumers' ability to judge freshness is hampered. "Because the type of packaging used eliminates the possibility that smell or touch can help consumers judge the meat's freshness, they have no way other than appearance to judge the meat. Take away color, and all you have left is blind faith," added Berdahl. "Consumers have a right to know what's being added to meat when it materially alters the finished product that consumers are buying."
Carbon monoxide proponents have pointed to a Texas Tech study as evidence that consumers can tell from its "unpleasant odor" when carbon monoxide treated meat is no longer safe for consumption, despite its reddish color. What the carbon monoxide proponents ignore, however, is that, consumers cannot detect any unpleasant odor from packaged meat when making a purchasing decision, and at best, would be discernable only after the consumer has purchased the meat and opened the package. Dr. J. Chance Brooks, the study's lead researcher, recognized that consumers cannot reasonably rely on odor to determine the freshness of packaged meat before purchase, stating, "What you'll find is that the meat may look good in the store, but once someone gets it home and peels the wrapping off, they'll know it has spoiled by the smell." In essence, what consumers think they are buying in the store, may not turn out that way once they get the package home and unwrap it, which could be days away or weeks away if stored in the freezer.
Third, the risk of harm to consumers is amplified by the extended shelf- life representations that are reflected in the use-by dates that appear on carbon monoxide-treated meat packages. While the average shelf life of conventionally packaged meat is approximately 4-5 days, and the shelf life of case ready meats without CO averages 10-12 days, for carbon monoxide-treated ground beef claimed shelf life extends as long as 28 days, and for CO-treated whole muscle cuts claimed shelf life extends as long as 35 days, according to GRAS notifications that were submitted to FDA. In contrast to these claims, the Texas Tech study reported odors signaling spoilage after 14 days in carbon monoxide-treated meat. Notably, these results occurred in meat that was stored in a laboratory display case in which storage conditions would reasonably be expected to support a relatively longer shelf life than would the real world storage conditions in which some fluctuation of temperatures can be anticipated as the product is distributed and stored for retail sale. Similarly, as reflected in findings reported by Consumer Reports in July, 2006 and separate findings from limited tests conducted by S&J Laboratories in Kalsec-sponsored studies, unacceptable levels of spoilage organisms have been detected in certain carbon monoxide-treated meat samples prior to the use- or freeze-by date. Although the available data represent a limited number of product samples, they suggest that prompt action by FDA and USDA is needed, as Kalsec has advocated. These data were filed with FDA and USDA in submissions made on June 14, 2006.
The full submission can be found at
http://www.co-meat.com/Kalsec_November_2006_filing.PDF.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Kalsec, Inc.
biz.yahoo.com