Decayed Meat Treated With Carbon Monoxide to Make It Look Fresh At The Grocery

Did you ever wonder how the meat sold in the grocery store always looks so fresh?

Have you thought about how long it takes to get from a live animal to the slaughterhouse to the packer to the distributor to the grocery store to the meat case and finally to your dinner plate?

THERE’S MAGIC IN THE MEAT.

Well, not really magic–more like carbon monoxide. Two-thirds of the meat (beef and chicken) packaged for consumer use in the U.S. are prepared and packaged at a meat packing plant that then ships it case-ready for grocery stores. In the process, many packers inject carbon monoxide into the package that surrounds the meat to keep it looking–but not necessarily remaining–fresh.

The carbon monoxide becomes infused in the meat and attaches itself to myoglobin (a kind of intercellular protein) in the meat and oxygen is thereby retained, keeping the meat looking fresh. No one will buy brown meat. The carbon monoxide creates a low-oxygen environment that inhibits the growth of bacteria that cause spoilage.

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