Congress Questions Safety of Carbon Monoxide in Meat

Meat companies that blast red meat with carbon monoxide to keep it looking more fresh than it actually is are coming under fire, as is the Department of Agriculture, for a cosmetic process that critics call obviously deceptive.

Since 2004, Hormel and Cargill have puffed their red meats with carbon monoxide, which keeps the meat looking red and ready to eat even if it's spoiled. The treatment itself isn't harmful, according to experts, but it can trick unwitting consumers who don't recognize spoiled meat by the smell or use-by dates.

Congress now is questioning the practice, particularly the veracity of data that led the USDA to approve the process in the first place, according to USA Today.

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