Rosy but rancid?

• Position: Supermarkets using carbon monoxide to keep meat red - Brief article

If meat in the supermarket looks rosier than it used to, the reason is that a growing number of markets are selling meat in airtight packages treated with carbon monoxide to keep it looking red for weeks. This "modified atmosphere packaging" has become more commonplace as supermarkets eliminate in-house butchers and buy precut, case-ready meat from processing plants. "This is what's going to happen in the meat business," says John A. Catsimatidis, chief executive of Gristede's supermarkets. "The meat looks great. It looks as red as the day it was cut." And it helps retailers save money: A study conducted at Oklahoma State University in 2003 for the...