Studies Attest to Buyers' Focus on Color of Meat

A Food and Drug Administration official indicated yesterday that she was unaware of any scientific studies showing that the color of a piece of meat is central to a shopper's decision to buy it or not -- even though a petition recently filed with the agency describes several such studies.

In a telephone news conference yesterday, Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA's Office of Food Additive Safety, sought to allay consumer concerns about the safety and freshness of the nation's meat supply after revelations in The Washington Post that a growing proportion of prepackaged meats in the United States are spiked with carbon monoxide -- a gas that keeps even rotten meat looking red and fresh.

The agency has been asked to ban the practice, but Tarantino defended the FDA's decision to classify it as "generally recognized as safe," which allowed the meatpacking industry to use the gas without seeking formal FDA approval.

Carbon monoxide "does not reduce the safety of meat," Tarantino said, referring to meat-company-sponsored studies indicating that treated meat is not more likely to harbor harmful bacteria than conventionally packaged meat.

That aspect of safety is essentially undisputed. But Tarantino appeared unacquainted with a significant body of data -- some of it generated by the meat industry -- indicating that red color is a central cue used by shoppers to determine the freshness of meats, which are increasingly sold in sealed, "modified atmosphere" packages.

The issue of how consumers make their choices is central to the argument made by Kalsec Inc. of Kalamazoo, Mich., that the use of carbon monoxide to keep meat red is a "deceptive practice."

Kalsec sells natural extracts that slow the browning of packaged meats -- a business threatened by the growing use of carbon monoxide.

"If we had evidence that consumers would be misled into buying meat that was spoiled because of the use of this technology, that is something we'd be concerned about," Tarantino said. Asked if any scientific studies had quantified the importance of color for consumers making judgments about freshness, Tarantino had none to offer.

But Kalsec's petition, filed with the agency in November, cites:

· A 2001 Colorado State University study that concluded, "Consumers view color as one of the most important attributes of fresh beef when making a decision to purchase retail product."

· A 1972 study published in the Journal of Food Science that concluded, "Consumer studies have shown that physical appearance of a retail cut in the display case is the most important factor determining retail selection of meat products."

· A 1996 study in the Journal of Animal Science that stated, "Meat color is the main factor affecting beef product acceptability at retail points of purchase."

· A National Pork Board/American Meat Science Association fact sheet, which states that "meat color is the single greatest appearance factor that determines whether or not a meat cut will be purchased."

Tarantino said the agency was considering Kalsec's petition, along with documents filed by meat interests opposed to Kalsec's claim that carbon monoxide should be considered a "color additive." That classification would require a public review of safety data. She would not predict when the agency's review would be complete.

Tarantino also said she did not know if the agency would respond on time to a letter sent Feb. 9 to acting FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach from Reps. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) and Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) , which requested answers by tomorrow to numerous questions about the handling of the carbon monoxide issue.

On Monday, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he would introduce legislation to ban carbon monoxide use in packaged meats if the FDA does not immediately revoke its earlier decision.

FDA spokeswoman Susan Bro encouraged shoppers to "use the skills you have as a consumer to be aware of what is a safe and fresh meat product."