Cargill to Chicago: Don't Worry Your Pretty Little Head
And Don't Mind the Carbon Monoxide in the Meat
In a great boon to consumers, Chicago Alderwoman Leslie Hairston introduced a city ordinance to ban meat that has been treated with carbon monoxide from being sold in Chicago supermarkets. Why is this important? Because adding carbon monoxide to meat makes it look a healthy pink color, even if it’s actually old and gray. Consumers who use color- and many of us do- to determine if meat is fresh are thus at-risk for eating spoiled meat.
At a March 23rd hearing on the ban, Hairston and Director of Cargill Meat Solutions Mark Klein had this fascinating exchange:
Hairston: My question to you – I want you to answer the question that I asked you previously. In other words, the consumer doesn’t have a right to know?
Hairston: Okay. Thank you.
Klein: Does that answer your question?
Hairston: Yes, it does.
Answers our question about just how much nerve Cargill has, too. Apparently, a whole lot.
