"carbon monoxide" news and stories

The main feature of today's New York Times food section is a foray into the world of cultivated truffles. Apparently cultivated black truffles are more common than many consumers think and many restaurants care to admit.

Other stories:

• Eric Asimov sings the praises of white Bordeaux.
• Mark Bittman does Moroccan chicken with green olives.
• Nigella Lawson returns with chickpea curry and herbed millet.
• Kim Severson talks about Louisiana's crawfish shortage.
• Frank Bruni visits Del Posto.
• Marian Burros gives an update on the ongoing meat-and-carbon-monoxide issue.

[Photo: Tony Cenicola/NYT]

NBC5 in Chicago recently ran a story about the ongoing debate over treating raw meat with carbon monoxide to maintain its red color and fresh appearance. While this has been in the news for a while, the NBC5 story can serve as a decent summary. Basically, consumer rights groups are concerned that meats treated with CO will appear fresh and safe for far longer than they actually are, thus putting consumers at risk. The FDA has accepted the process as one that's generally regarded as safe (GRAS), without conducting any independent investigation. Late last year, a Michigan-based food company requested that the FDA rescind its decision to allow CO treatment. The process is most commonly found in meats such as beef and tuna that are cut and packed prior to arriving at supermarkets.