Government scientists who are responsible for food safety say there’s no need for consumers to worry about meat packaged in a low-oxygen atmosphere that includes carbon monoxide.

They didn’t do their own studies on the process, which is used to keep meat from turning brown, but they didn’t object to the science submitted by the people using this kind of packaging.

“Essentially, under the law, they do not require formal approval,” said  George Pauli, associate director for science and policy in the Office of Food Additive Safety at the federal Food and Drug Administration.  “On three occasions, we looked for assurances of safety, and we didn’t object.”

In one Pauli described, the one used by Pactiv, one of three authorized by the government, there is double-layered packaging.  The outer layer is not permeable to gas, and the modified atmosphere containing carbon monoxide is between the outer and the inner layer.   When the meat gets to the supermarket, they remove the outer layer  and the modified atmosphere goes away, he said. 

So by the time consumer gets to the package, the carbon monoxide is gone and the packaging appears to be no different from any other.

Pauli is satisfied it’s safe to use carbon monoxide in packaging to prevent meat from turning brown.

“Otherwise we would have challenged it,” Pauli said.

Robert Post is director of labeling and consumer protection at the Food Safety and Inspection Service a part of the Department of Agriculture.

He said other substances have been used for many years to keep meat red, including rosemary extract, citric acid and other organic acids, like ascorbic acid.

Controlled atmosphere or modified atmosphere meat packaging has been around for decades, using carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases, Post said.  But there was none using carbon monoxide until 2002, when the USDA and the FDA agreed the practice should be generally regarded as safe.

In this kind of request for what should be regarded as safe, FDA rules on safety, USDA on suitability, that the method works.  

Post, too, backs the safety of the system that allows this kind of meat packaging.

“Certainly,” he said.  “The process involved is rigorous and based on scientific data.  Decisions on safety and suitability aren’t made in a vacuum.“

He suspects some consumers are wary because they are unfamiliar with or distant from the sources of their food.   Pauli also acknowledged even the use of the words “carbon monoxide” can be disturbing because in high concentrations it’s poisonous to breathe. 

Post agreed.

“Some of this can become become frightening, but there’s a lot of science that that went into showing they’re safe,” he said. 

Reach Richard Piersol at 473-7241 or at dpiersol@journalstar.com.