-—pumping CO into grocery store meat? Is that pretty much like the orchard/froot guys who fill their warehouses with SO2 or CO2 to help the froot stay fresh longer? They use electric fork lifts and scuba style breathing gear inside the cellars to move the stuff around. If I see a butcher wearing a respirator I may just burn the place down.
I hardly ever buy meat off the counter. Been cutting up my own whole cuts about forever and this convinces me I do it right.
When I was big enough to swing an axe the folks put me in charge of killing chickens. After I got my first 30-06 I was in charge of killing everything else. The folks were happy to buy me bullets. Been that way for 7 decades, or so. No CO. No CO2. No SO2. Just a cooler, big band saw, sharp knives. and freezer.
The fruit/veggie guys are usually using ethylene. Apples give it off pretty heavily too, so storing them in your vegetable bin is a spoilage accelerator.