Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and flavorless gas which is potentially dangerous when improper care is used in its handling. It is the same gas which was used by Hitler to exterminate the Jews. The meat industry has found a new use for this gas – to turn its flanks and steaks an attractive pink to sell to customers who are skeptical of many healthy meats’ dirty brown color. Steaks turn brown because of air exposure, same as an apple would. The meat is still perfectly healthy and delicious, but no longer looks appetizing… so to keep business running better, some companies have been investing in carbon monoxide exposure to give them the same juicy “cherry red” appearance as the holocaust victims. The problem here isn’t actually the exposure to the dangerous gas, but the fact that the meat exposed to it stays red long after being exposed – even when it is rotten far past its prime. The consumer’s shallow decision might wind up costing them their health based on the meat industry’s bad judgement.
*For more information, read the articles in The Seattle Times and The L.A. Times.
