FT 12.17 – Red Meat Labeling Act (Tabled)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AN ACT
To require companies that package meat and grocery stores to label all meat products treated with carbon monoxide.

Section 1: Title

This legislation may be cited as the Red Meat Labeling Act.

Section 2: Findings

Parliament finds and declares that;

1.) Carbon monoxide (often referred to as CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, one measly oxygen molecule away from the carbon dioxide all humans exhale. However, this chemical can have detrimental effects on the human body at very low concentrations.

2.) The Canadian Meat Packers Council recommends that the internal meat temperatures not go above 4 degrees Celsius or 39 degrees Fahrenheit. That has also been defined by other international meat regulators as the optimum storage temperature of meat.

3.) In a carbon monoxide system, with low oxygen, the carbon monoxide will react with myoglobin and give aged meat a bright red color. The low oxygen mixture artificially limits the growth of spoilage organisms that are commonly caused by increased levels of heat in display cases.

4.) More than 70% of all beef and chicken in the United States, Canada and other countries is being treated with poisonous carbon monoxide gas to look fresh.

Section 3: Meat Labeling Requirement

1.) All meat treated with carbon monoxide must have a label that reads "TREATED WITH CARBON MONOXIDE" on their packages at a font size no smaller than 13 pt.

2.) Butchers/meat producers that sell meat that do not contain such labels will be warned on a first offense, and fined $35,000,000 per offense thereafter.

Section 4: Enactment

This legislation shall take effect on January 1, 2020.

Sponsor: Scott, FM

The first minister has the floor.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Carbon monoxide is often used in modified atmosphere packaging as a technique for maintaining food quality.  The MAP method works by replacing the air with a mixture of inert gases including carbon monoxide, as well as carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and the package is then heat sealed.  The mix extends the shelf-life of the meat, vegetables, and other perishable foods by up to 15 days from the normal five days.

However, carbon monoxide is also used to make meat appear fresher than it actually is by reacting with the chemicals to create carboxymyoglobin, a bright red pigment that masks any of the natural aging and spoilage of the meats.  The CO simulates the appearance of freshness so that consumers may actually believe that the meat is safe and fresh, when it might actually be neither.  Consumers mainly choose their meat based on color and appearance, but if meat is bought spoiled, even proper cooking might not be sufficient to render the food safe to eat because certain bacteria produces toxins to survive the cooking process.  This deceptive practice opens consumers up to possible health hazards.

The FDA has approved the practice as safe for use with packaged meat in response to requests from two food companies, while the EU and several countries including Japan, Canada, and Singapore ban the use of carbon monoxide in meat and tuna products.  Currently, there is no federal (or, to my knowledge, state and local) policy requiring that food treated with carbon monoxide even be labeled, and while packagers have disputed that this process is unsafe, consumers at the very least ought to know whether the food they are eating has been treated with potentially harmful chemicals.

For the sake of consumer transparency and protecting the public health, I urge the Parliament to pass this bill.

Source of research: https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2005/11/17/FDA-asked-to-rescind-use-of-carbon-monoxide-for-meats

[Mr. Reactionary]

Hmmmm...

I'll check if this federally preempted or not.

[Mr. Reactionary]

I think this would be federally preempted. Federal law seems pretty clear that meat label specifications are exclusively a federal power since its regulating interstate commerce.

https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2016/02/federal-law-pre-empts-california-meat-labelingpackaging-law/

https://advertisinglaw.fkks.com/post/102fi7q/preemption-and-lack-of-standing-bar-lawsuit-over-the-use-of-natural

Even if not, I would comfortably argue it violates the prohibition on excessive fines. To jump from a $0 warning to $35 million for a single violation is beyond grossly disproportionate to the criminal activity. If it were so dangerous that the fine is warranted the free warning undermines the apparant severity.

Sorry to again be the bearer of bad news. Im in the middle of rewriting my City's railroad code irl and its the same story where like 95% of what is on the books is federally preempted and has to be repealed.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I will withdraw sponsorship from this bill from the floor and request that Senator Devout Centrist sponsor a federal version instead.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Motion to table.

I will lobby strongly for federal legislation as soon as it reaches the floor.  Thanks to Mr. R for researching the constitutionality of this, though I'm sad that this is necessary.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Can my motion get a second?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I second the motion.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

The motion to table FT 12.17 will proceed to a vote. Members will vote Aye (for the motion to table), Nay (against the motion to table), or abstain. Voting will last 48 hours or until all members have voted.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Aye.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Aye.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Aye

[Virginiá]

Aye

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

With four votes in favor and one member not voting, the motion is agreed to. The resolution is, consequently, tabled.