(CBS) Picture yourself at the grocery store faced with two cuts of packaged fresh red meat, one pink, the other brown.
Which would you choose? Most people would buy the pink meat, assuming it was fresher.
But that's not necessarily true.
The meat industry has started spiking much packaged fresh meat with harmless amounts of carbon monoxide, which helps the meat retain a pink, "fresh" color for weeks.
Consumer groups are up in arms over the practice, not because it's necessarily harmful, but because it's happening without any provisions to tell consumers the meat has been treated with the gas.
The groups fear that could lead to the consumption of spoiled meat, because the treatment could keep meat looking fresh beyond when it actually is.
"The meat industry is taking away one of the key visual cues that consumers use to determine whether meat is fresh or whether it's old and may be spoiled," asserted Caroline DeWaal, Food Safety Director of the Center for Science and Public Interest, on The Early Show Tuesday. "It locks in the redness. That means that meat that could be old and spoiled will still look fresh in the package."
"Now," she told co-anchor Harry Smith, "we don't have a concern with carbon monoxide. That's really not the issue. But the issue is one of labeling, and making sure that consumers have clear information that the meat has been treated with something that locks in the redness, and that they've got to use it or freeze it by a certain date.
"It's critical that the industry clearly label the meat to show that consumers can't rely on that color as their cue."
The industry, Smith pointed out, says even after meat has started to change color, it's still good to eat, and all the carbon monoxide does is keep that color there a little longer.
DeWaal didn't disagree, but added, "The color ? doesn't stay there a little longer. The color really is locked in for weeks, perhaps. So, that means the meat could be more exposed to high temperatures. I mean, the longer it sits around, the more likely it is to be subject to abuse, which could lead to spoilage or the growth of ? bacteria."
What are the rules regarding labeling?
"Depending on where the meat was packaged, many meat products do carry a 'use-by' date," DeWaal responded. "We think it should also say that it's been treated with carbon monoxide, because that will indicate to consumers that they can't rely on their eyes to check the meat.
"Check with the grocery store (to find out whether they're) buying meat that's been treated this way. In the long run, we'll see that this process will be labeled on the package, and I think that's the right approach here."
