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Legislators have introduced a bill that would mandate labeling
meat packaged in color-enhancing carbon monoxide gas, cosponsors
Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said in
a statement.
The Carbon Monoxide Treated Meat Safe Handling, Labeling,
and Consumer Protection Act would require that fresh meat,
seafood and poultry packaged with CO be labeled to inform
consumers that they should not use color as an indicator
of freshness.
The bill comes on the heels of Safeway's announcement last
week that it was pulling CO-enhanced meat product from its
shelves under pressure from Stupack and fellow Michigan
Democrat John Dingell. (See Safeway
pulls product packaged in CO on Meatingplace.com
, July 19, 2007.)
The American Meat Institute disagrees.
AMI Foundation Vice President of Scientific Affairs Randy
Huffman said modern food safety and packaging technology
now delivers longer shelf life on many meat products, so
the CO packaging safely allows the color to match the product's
actual shelf life.
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