Carbon Monoxide Packaging of Fresh Meat

Recent media reports have raised concerns regarding the safety of fresh meat packaged with carbon monoxide. These reports have resulted from persistent efforts by private interests to garner public and legislative support for a ban on CO for fresh-meat packaging.

These efforts have included a petition to the Food and Drug Administration requesting that CO no longer be permitted for meat packaging. The petition does not question the safety of the low (0.4%) levels of CO permitted but instead claim…