DALLAS - The controversy over carbon monoxide modified-atmosphere packaging was the result of a public relations campaign launched by a competing business, according to a panel at the Annual Meat Conference here.
The media perpetuated unfounded claims about the CO MAP process by a company driven by competitive interests, said Janet Riley, spokeswoman for the American Meat Institute. Kalsec, the Michigan-based producer of a natural food extract that delays the browning of meat, petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to repeal its approval of CO MAP on the basis that the process, which helps meat maintain its red color, is unsafe and deceptive to consumers.
Riley said a large Washington-based public relations firm hired by Kalsec aggressively pitched news sources to generate negative media coverage about CO MAP. The media frenzy began after the Washington Post ran a front page story about CO MAP on Feb. 20.
"Carbon monoxide packaging systems stand to make obsolete Kalsec's product," according to a statement delivered by Riley on behalf of Patrick Boyle, president of AMI. "Consumers should be outraged that the petitioner is using distortions - and a big PR firm in Washington - to generate media coverage and generate fear about a safe, wholesome and federally inspected product that has the backing of FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture."
The AMI has been doing damage control since the controversy erupted. In a media communication, Riley urged editorial page editors to "read before you write" a fact sheet called "Carbon Monoxide in Meat Packaging: Myths and Facts," on AMI's website.
Going forward, AMI will avoid keeping the story alive and respond to media requests as needed, she said. It will also encourage op-ed placement of "myth-busters," respond aggressively to errors and educate consumers about MAP.
CO MAP uses a combination of gases, including CO, to displace oxygen in meat packaging to slow oxidation and help meat maintain its red color for weeks. Critics contend that by prolonging meat's red color, CO MAP masks spoilage and is therefore deceptive to consumers.
"Just because meat is turning brown doesn't necessarily mean that bacteria is causing the color change," said Randall Huffman, vice president of scientific affairs at AMI. "The color of meat can change independent of microbial growth. In CO MAP-treated products, spoilage manifests itself in the form of gas and odor formation upon abuse of the product."
Pre-harvest stress undergone by the animal, its diet, temperature from the point of slaughter to distribution, packaging and whether the meat is ground or whole can affect color, he said.
"The question is how do we get the color in a package that consumers will accept that provides an eating experience that will ensure weekly purchases," Huffman said. "We have to consider how the meat is going to look six, eight and 10 days after production when it is consumed."
