Meat + Poultry - April 2006 - 14

Business Notes
A.M.I. speaks out on proposal in Chicago to ban
carbon monoxide in meat packaging

Meat export workers to
receive additional training

A proposed city ordinance that
would ban a form of meat packaging
within the Chicago city limits is
unscientific, unconstitutional and
would eliminate an important choice
for consumers, the American Meat
Institute recently told the Chicago
City Council in testimony.
According
to
A.M.I. Foundation
Vice President of
Scientific Affairs
Dr. Randy Huffman, the technology
at issue is a system
Huffman
that removes oxygen from meat packages and adds
protective gases including minute
amounts of carbon monoxide. Huffman noted in written testimony that
just as oxygen can cause an apple to
turn brown, it has a similar effect on
meat making it appear less appealing when it is actually wholesome
and safe to consume. This packaging system helps meat maintain its
red color during its shelf life so that
it is appealing to consumers.
He noted that claims about the
technology have been advanced by
the maker of a competing technology that will benefit if this packaging system fails.
"It is regrettable that Chicagoans
- who purchased and enjoyed meat
packaged in this fashion for several
years - are being subjected to a
baseless food safety scare," Huffman said. He noted that during the
time period that this technology has
been used, data from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention

The United States agreed to require
further training of its workers handling
beef exports to Japan, according to
U.S. officials. The announcement was
made after a U.S. delegation, led by
Chuck Lambert, acting U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture undersecretary for
marketing and regulatory programs,
finished two days of talks in Japan in
late March in hopes of lifting Tokyo's
U.S. beef ban.
The United States will provide additional training to beef workers and
follow-up to make sure they know
what meat products are prohibited in
Japan, Lambert said.
"From our viewpoint, this is another step on the path to lifting the
barrier," Lambert said. "We had a
very thorough and complete discussion, and reached an agreement over
further measures."
Lynn Heinze, vice president of information services, U.S. Meat Export
Federation, said the organization believes the training applies to inspection
personnel and not necessarily plant
personnel, but it is awaiting a better
translation of the agreement.
"Training is clearly a key in this
incidence," Heinze said, referring to
Japan reclosing its borders in January after spine bones were found in a
U.S. veal shipment. "The buyer in Tokyo who requested the hotel rack, the
company that took the order, the plant
Q.A. person who supervised the shipment and the inspectors who signed
off on it, all failed to understand the
basics - hotel rack includes the vertebral column, which is not allowed
for export to Japan."

show that foodborne illnesses have
declined. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
data likewise show that bacteria in
meat products have declined during
this time period.
Huffman also noted that a wide
array of foods sold in grocery
stores use a variety of gases in the
package to maintain color, flavor,
freshness or other quality attributes, including snack foods, bag
salads, precut produce, peanuts
and a host of other products.
"Claiming that the use of minute
amounts of one gas in meat packages is somehow cause for concern
flies in the face of science and the
eight instances in which U.S.D.A.
and F.D.A. have examined and affirmed the product's safety and suitability," Huffman said.
He also rebutted claims that
maintaining meat's red color could
mask spoilage by noting that products packaged in this way have
use-by dates. If products were temperature abused during their shelf
life, packages would bulge, meat
would appear slimy and an unmistakable spoilage odor would be apparent upon opening the package,
he added.
The legal counsel for the A.M.I.
advised city officials in writing
that this proposed ordinance is unconstitutional because federal law
would preempt the ordinance. Huffman said the only thing the City of
Chicago will gain by allowing this
ordinance to advance is a large legal
bill to defend an unconstitutional
local ordinance.

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Meat + Poultry - April 2006

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