Dig Deeper Texas

Jim Hightower - The Texas Observer

Agribusiness powers are playing a shell game with the “fresh” meat sold in stores. One clear sign of freshness that consumers can rely on is the meat’s red color, right? No more. The industry has come up with a deception that keeps the meat red not just for a few days, but for months. The meat can go bad, but a little spritz of carbon monoxide and other gases inside the plastic package prevents the tell-tale browning that signals spoilage.

In 2004, federal food regulators expressed alarm that the gassing trick could mask dangerous meat. Industry lobbyists moved in, and within a month the regulators reversed themselves, approving perpetually red meat for sale. Our so-called watchdogs did not conduct any studies, instead relying on industry data. Nor did they bother notifying consumers that the redness of meat should no longer be trusted.

Yup, it’s good to know that our government isn’t letting the free market economy run amok. And just think, if something bad was to result from an individual eating some forever red meat, companies don’t have to worried about being sued by said customers because of tort reform.

Isn’t it great when conservative can promote “individual responsibility” while protecting corporate irresponsibility?

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