A food safety expert discusses the largest meat recall in U.S. history.
Comment: A new life style comes to the life , and also a site calld pubspa has someting about health care and skin protection.
Comment: This is a continuous problem. Beef, chicken etc. The only way to control this is for Americans to choose to eat healthy and avoid all animal products. Just don't eat it. It's simple. That will improve your health and help the planet. Or, you can eat it and die. Simple enough. If you choose to eat it then don't whine when you need a triple bypass.
Comment: The problem here is in the stockyard, not the slaughterhouse. Mr. Pollan apparently did not consider that piece of the process. The animals go from farms, to trucks, to stockyards, to slaughterhouses. The problem most likely occurred either on the trucks or at the stockyard.
Comment: If government inspection & regulation isn't sufficient, consumers may have to become even more aware of name-brands and their safety track records. (In the case of meat you buy in plastic wrapping with no name brand on it, such as ground beef in the meat section, then the name of the store chain, or local independent store's name, serves as the brand name.) When you learn about tainted food products (whether meat, peanut butter, or other food products), staying away from that brand name of that product, at least for a period of time that each of us thinks best (maybe a year?) may send an effective message in the marketplace, not just to that company, but also to ALL companies who will be observing consumer reactions.
Comment: Michael Pollan makes several good points here, but the most important is this: in spite of all that's wrong with our increasingly centralized, industrial food system, there are still people out there who are doing it right, and we should be supporting those businesses.
I work for the Eat Well Guide (www.eatwellguide.org), a nonprofit program out of NYC that helps educate consumers on problems associated with factory farms, but more importantly, offers a viable solution--our Guide lists tens of thousands of small-scale, local farms (as well as restaurants, markets and other businesses that distribute their goods). Conscientious eaters just enter their zip code to find good food.
Buying from small-scale local producers is not only safer, but it's also better for animals, workers, the environment, and local economies.
Check out the Eat Well Guide--eating "good" meat not only helps you rest a little easier, but it tastes pretty good, too.
Comment: It's amazing that this one case is getting so much attention since factory farmed animals have been horribly abused for years without most people giving it a second thought. Now, one undercover video comes out & everyone is all shook up. Wake up, people. This kind of cruelty goes on every day, in slaughterhouses all over the world. That's how these animals are treated on a regular basis. OF course, the meat recall is the only reason that this is a big story. How much do meat eaters really care about how these animals are treated? Their only concern is getting their daily fix of a dead animal on their plate. Also, consider that just eating meat in general is hazardous to your health, whether it comes from downed cows or not.
Just leave the animals alone & start eating healthy, vegetarian food. You'll feel better, be healthier, lose weight, look amazing & you won't be hurting a single being.
Comment: Not to mention the overwhelming flatulence that comes with eating vegetarian food...
Comment: Leave them alone, for heaven's sake. Those cows are mad at us. We wouldn't have "mad cow disease" otherwise. Their lives are at "steak". Now they know how Hansel and Gretel felt when the witch tried to fatten them up.
Comment: Scary, very scary. Especially for children!
Comment: As a fellow carnivore (I know that's not true) I am concerned about Mad Cow. My studies have shown that Mad Cow is transfered through the cooking of the bone with the meat. As a result, I buy and cook only boneless meat. I have my own grinder to make my own "Fat-free" hamburger from boneless cuts (I bind the meat with BBQ sauce). Cooking in itself will kill most of what can concern us. and keeping a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol on the counter should do the rest. America is a productive country with alot of spoiled mouths to feed. American workers increasingly care less about the quality of the job they produce at work as you can probably see by looking in the mirror. We can't expect our food workers to care about their jobs any more than we care about ours. Caution in all things, cook it well and keep it clean... Good Luck
Comment: Beef, it's what's for dinner. Think I'll have a big, juicy steak tonight with a side of bacon.
Slaughter them, chop 'em up, and slap 'em on my plate boys. I don't care how you do it. Just do it.
Comment: I love the part, when ask how people respond to the article, it talks about consumers who need to make an EMOTIONAL connection to their cheeseburger, who need to FEEL good bout where their dead cow flesh is coming from. Give me a break! Food=Fuel. If people realized this, there wouldn't be the obesity epidemic in the US because people wouldn't be trying to feel good via food.
And there is no 'humane' way to kill beef or brocolli, as the outcome is still 'death' against its will. Does the process need to be safe and clean? Yes. But humane is simply not going to happen - just more political correctness...
Comment: We wouldn't have these problems if we would just become vegetarians.
Comment: How did that spinach recall for eColi work for you..?
Comment: The spinach contamination happened because of cattle manure runoff being picked up in the water supply. Had the slaughterhouses running things "by the book" the manure would not have ended up in the area water supply.
Comment: I don't know if I would go so far as to call a journalism professor a "food safety expert," but if he's the guy who will say what you all at Newsweek want to hear... Why not actually get Temple Grandin, who this journalism professor quotes himself, to write you an article about food safety and slaughterhouse conditions? I guarantee you she has seen far more than this guy and would be better able to give an accurate picture of the industry.
And I don't know if I would go so far as to say that cattle slaughtered in small batches are necessarily slaughtered more humanely than cattle slaughtered in big plants. Mistakes can be made in either place; you can screw up with a rifle (which is how a lot of "small" batches are done, by the way) just as easy as you can with a captive bolt.
Furthermore, workers that do make a lot of mistakes in big plants aren't as efficient, so even if plants are money hungry sadists, it would be unproductive for them to keep workers that do a bad job on the kill floor. People that screw up hold up the line. Humane killing is more efficient and therefore more profitable.
And finally, to suggest that the only kind of beef that people should eat is expensive, natural/organic meat is kind of arrogant. It's like saying that if you aren't affluent enough to afford natural/organic beef, and you eat beef anway, you are a bad person that doesn't care about animals. He's nearly making a correlation between economic status and a person's moral integrity.
I think animal welfare is important, and what was going on in that California plant was bad. But it is by no means representative of the meat industry as a whole. Most cattle are raised and treated humanely. And for the record, I have been in a slaughterhouse, and I am not a USDA official. I have a degree in animal science and am working on a veterinary degree, and my recommendation to Newsweek is to get someone to write an article that has more experience in the industry and doesn't place moral judgments on those of us who eat "regular" beef.
Sincerely,
Beef eating veterinary student, non-cow torturer
Comment: I don't know if I would go so far as to call a journalism professor a "food safety expert," but if he's the guy who will say what you all at Newsweek want to hear... Why not actually get Temple Grandin, who this journalism professor quotes himself, to write you an article about food safety and slaughterhouse conditions? I guarantee you she has seen far more than this guy and would be better able to give an accurate picture of the industry.
And I don't know if I would go so far as to say that cattle slaughtered in small batches are necessarily slaughtered more humanely than cattle slaughtered in big plants. Mistakes can be made in either place; you can screw up with a rifle (which is how a lot of "small" batches are done, by the way) just as easy as you can with a captive bolt.
Furthermore, workers that do make a lot of mistakes in big plants aren't as efficient, so even if plants are money hungry sadists, it would be unproductive for them to keep workers that do a bad job on the kill floor. People that screw up hold up the line. Humane killing is more efficient and therefore more profitable.
And finally, to suggest that the only kind of beef that people should eat is expensive, natural/organic meat is kind of arrogant. It's like saying that if you aren't affluent enough to afford natural/organic beef, and you eat beef anway, you are a bad person that doesn't care about animals. He's nearly making a correlation between economic status and a person's moral integrity.
I think animal welfare is important, and what was going on in that California plant was bad. But it is by no means representative of the meat industry as a whole. Most cattle are raised and treated humanely. And for the record, I have been in a slaughterhouse, and I am not a USDA official. I have a degree in animal science and am working on a veterinary degree, and my recommendation to Newsweek is to get someone to write an article that has more experience in the industry and doesn't place moral judgments on those of us who eat "regular" beef.
Sincerely,
Beef eating veterinary student, non-cow torturer
Comment: While I by no means condone what was happening at this particular proccessing plant, as a farmer I feel compelled to point out a few things that the non-farming public doesn't take into consideration. Is modern agriculture becoming "industrialized"? Yes it is. Why is this happening? There are several factors. Chief among them being that production agriculture is damn hard work for little pay and even less gratitude from those not involved in it. I milk cows for a living. It's a 365 day a year job. No paid vacations, no sick leave, no holidays off, no health insurance. Less than 2% of the population now produces all of the food in this country, plus an abundance for export. Why? Because most people have no interest in doing it themselves for the aforementioned reasons. So do those 2% need to be fast and efficient at what they do? Obviously. Americans enjoy the safest, most plentiful, most affordable food in the history of this planet. When is the last time you walked into a grocery store and there was no food to be had? Think for a second about the quality of life this affords you, the cars, computers, nice homes, vacations, etc. that most of the world cannot afford because they spend half of what they make just to put food on the table. Another factor for you to consider: Our population continues to grow, our land base to grow the food for these people continues to shrink due to MILLIONS of acres lost every year to urban sprawl. The very same people who complain about how their food is produced continue to contribute to the problem by building their houses where a farmer used to grow his crops. How can we go back to the 50's with the cows "frollicking" in the pasture, when there is no affordable pasture for those cows? The only way for that to happen is to place a national moratorium on making babies, halt all new construction on fertile farm ground, and put a halt to immigration. Is this going to happen? Obviosly not. The other option is to outsource our food production to foreign countries such as China. You want some lead paint with those fries? So the next time you feel the need to complain about your fellow farmers and how poor of a job we are doing providing your nourishment, take a second to think about where you would be without us.
Comment: I would caution everyone to be wary of ANYTHING that comes from HSUS. They are not an animal welfare organization, they are an animal RIGHTS organization. Their ultimate goal is to make it too expensive, inconvenient and/or illegal to eat animals. They're the same as PETA, they just wear nicer clothes.
Comment: I was sick to my stomach after the video was shown.I recently read the book "skinny ***" which opened my eyes to alot of animal abuse. I guess I didn't want to know. I gave up meat 2 weeks ago and feel so much better about that decision although i have told by everyone that it won't last.I wish that everyone would wake up.NO BREATHING CREATURE DESERVES ANY TYPE OF ABUSE!!
Comment: Plants and vegatables have a respiratory system. Aren't you abusing them when you eat them..?
Comment: Write your congressman today about your concerns.
Comment: chicken & seafood is also meat - watch this video (its NOT another meat horror show) it shows the process of stuff that is made and its effects - the facts are staggering -- well worth the watch.
www.thestoryofstuff.com
we've trashed the planet more in the past 50 years than at anytime in known history!
Comment: I am emailing my senator to help put a stop to the 400 an hour production lines. If we all write our senators this would become a major concern to congress.
Comment: And as supply goes down, demand stays the same, and price goes up. Are you ready to spend more?
Comment: there is no reason humans have to consume meat of any sort -- you don't know me so here's a quote from Sir Paul McCartney... ???If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That???s the single most important thing you could do. It???s staggering when you think about it. Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty.??? http://www.goveg.com/feat/paulmveg/
Comment: Save the planet? Given the amount of methane that would be generated by the vast over-population of animals no longer consumed, the hole in the ozone would increase drastically, causing an increase in temperature, a melting of the polar ice cap, and we would all drown. So, to prevent this, we should eat as many of these 'green house gas' emitters as possible, not less!
Comment: The public relations group for the Beef Association said the American people would forget this incident very quickly. So for those of us not "holy" enough to be vegetarians, let's eat chicken and seafood for the next year and see what reforms are made in the beef industry when they feel the pain.
Comment: Tears came to my eyes when I saw those pictures. I know the death of the animals is part of the cycle of life but this type of treatment to any animal is unacceptable. Totally and completly unacceptable. Whether it is the laying hen confined to a wire cage so tightly she can barely move, or the sow who is confined to a gestation crate, unable to move at all during her pregancy, or the young calf that is confined to a crate, unable to move, least he 'ruin' the veal, or the duck that is force fed to create a sick liver we relish. All of this is unacceptable. And then the animinal is slaughtered with absloutely no concern for the animal. We, as the consuming public are separated from these activities so we do not think about it, until we see pictures like these. I ask myself what can I do? For one thing I buy only eggs from cage free hens. I have not eaten pork since I learned of the terrible treatment of the hogs. But I kept eating beef because it was easy and I needed to eat something. I hid from the truth. But once again what can I do?. I can write my congressmen and women, I can contact the USDA, I can demand to know where any beef I purchase comes from.... I can get a list of USSPCA or PETA approved slaughter houses and only purchase items form those sites.. If enough of us do that, we can certainly change things for the better. Will it cost me more.... I expect it will.... Am I willing to pay more. You bet I am. And until it does change..... will I eat an animal. NO. I fefuse to be part of the problem.
Comment: I'm so glad that this horrendous process is being exposed. We are a sick nation if we put up with such inhumane treatment of animals. If I understand your article, as many as twenty cows per hour are allowed to be skinned alive? And that's okay? Somebody is sick besides the cows. I and my family have been vegetarians for years because we can't abide the inhumane treatment of these poor animals. We are healthy, slim, energetic,and we're in our sixties. If people would just look at the readily available meat and poultry alternatives, they would see what great food is available. I use normal recipes (that are made with meat) but I substitute Quorn brand products (look them up on the internet) that are absolutely great and are available in stores like Earthfare, Whole Foods and other specialty grocery stores. It's a wonderful, cruelty-free way of life.
Comment: I'm so glad that this horrendous process is being exposed. We are a sick nation if we put up with such inhumane treatment of animals. If I understand your article, as many as twenty cows per hour are allowed to be skinned alive? And that's okay? Somebody is sick besides the cows. I and my family have been vegetarians for years because we can't abide the inhumane treatment of these poor animals. We are healthy, slim, energetic,and we're in our sixties. If people would just look at the readily available meat and poultry alternatives, they would see what great food is available. I use normal recipes (that are made with meat) but I substitute Quorn brand products (look them up on the internet) that are absolutely great and are available in stores like Earthfare, Whole Foods and other specialty grocery stores. It's a wonderful, cruelty-free way of life.
Comment: It is about time! I became a vegetarian 18 years ago when I discovered how our meat is produced. PETA has been reporting on this issue for decades! Most livestock are horribly mistreated with ramifications that go beyond animal cruelty. This type of abuse has been ongoing for years!
The vision of chickens, pigs, and cows frolicking on the farm until it is time to slaughter them is nothing but an illusion of the past that today's farmers would love for us all to believe. Meat, eggs, and poultry have sadly not been produced that way since the 1940s and '50s. Why don't most people know about this? The beef industry is scary strong! Look at they way they reacted when Oprah commented on how beef was produced.
Mordern farms are more like this than not. Filled with antibiotics to allow them to live in "closer quarters" so they can produce more per acre of land. Most chickens rarely touch foot to ground needless to say see the sunlight.
If you all think this is bad... discover how they are producing veal and how they slaughter kosher cows. It is truly horrific.
I am glad that the public is finally getting an opportunity to see how their meat is produced.
Can you make a difference? Yes! Think about where your money goes and the industries you are supporting. Live a healthier life and don't be controlled by your tastebuds! If you HAVE to have meat, buy cruelty free or range free products.
Rancher Jim, with all due respect, if you think most meat is produced in a cruel free manner in this country you need to get your head out of the sand! I find it difficult to believe that you don't realize that most beef is not produced by the small country farmer, but by huge corporate farms. It is possible that you don't produce beef this way and if that is the case then you are truly the minority in your industry --- cheers to you! Unfortunately, this is not the general case and most farmers are worse than what is depicted in those films!
Comment: It is about time! I've seen footage like this put out by PETA for years now. I became a vegetarian 18 years ago when I became aware of these types of situations in MANY slaughterhouses across the county. The vision of cows, chickens, pigs, and other livestock frolicking on farms is nothing but a myth. That may be how most farms operated in the '30s and 40's, but more farms are like this one. In terms of cows... how veal is produced and kosher cows are slaughtered is much more horrific than this.
I can only hope this opens the eyes to the public -- FINALLY and possibly insights some to become less ignorant about where their food comes from.
Can you do something? Yes! Stop funding these awful companies!
Rancher Jim... you are a rarity in your industry... get your head out of the sand though... cattle in the US are not treated humanely as a whole --- neither are pigs, chickens or sheep.
Comment: I am a descendant of a rancher, but it still sickens me to see mass slaughters of animals. We are much too greedy for our own good. We simply do not need to produce as quickly and a much as we do. Think about what trauma these animals are facing, and then we ingest this stressed out food supply. The bottom line: as long as profit drives everything, there is no humanity, no decency and no standards. Everything becomes an individual choice. I choose to not eat beef or other meat . I still eat fish. Its a personal choice. I think Americans have always been shielded from the realities of our conspicuous consumption. Exposing it may change a few, but it is highly unlikely.
Comment: I am a fifth generation rancher. I am Celtic, which means we have been " Cattlemen" for thousands of years.
The stories and songs about cowboys losing their lives to save cattle or a horse are not just myth, it is a source of pride. I have seen many people go out in snow or lightning storms to save an animal.
I am just as angered and shocked as you are. These people are neither "cow" people or animal people. If I ever saw such behavior, I would stop it and that person would never work in my state again
In all fairness, to blame such behavior on an industry, is like saying it is the auto makers fault when a drunk
driver caused mayhem.
Comment: Discussions I've heard around here center on whether our meat supply is safe, but it seems that the mere fact that there ARE "downer" cows is a bigger issue. Do we want to support a system in which animals are cared for so poorly that they reach the slaughterhouse sick or infirm? The videos are disgusting. I can't believe we put up with this industrial food production system.
Comment: I am a 5th generation cattle rancher in New Mexico. I have never seen an animal treated that way, and am as shocked as you are. Our tradition is to take care of our animals, the songs and stories about a cowboy losing his life to save cattle or a horse are not just myth. I have gone out in lightning storms and snow storms to bring an animal, it is a matter of pride.
If I saw one of my cowboys doing what I saw in the film, he would not only not work for me, he would never work for anyone in this state!
I do have to say, cattle are treated more humanely in the US than any where else in the world.
Comment: You wrote: "I do have to say, cattle are treated more humanely in the US than any where else in the world."
How do you know this? Have you been everywhere else to check? My experience is that in Europe, for example in Germany, farms are much smaller and animals graze out in fields. That sounds better than the feed lots we have here..... But I have to admit I haven't seen everything either. I just get tired of people claiming the US is best when they haven't been anywhere else....
Comment: I haven't eaten meat in over 20 years. I am so relieved to not be involved with this horrific situation.
Comment: the ONLY reason that the government stepped in an recalled the ground beef from this plant is because of the very real threat of a ban against US beef by other countries. That is the one and only reason. Keep this in mind next time you eat any meat processed in this country.
Comment: EVERY SLAUGHTER HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY SHOULD HAVE AN OPEN DOOR POLICY. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE AND HOW OUR FOOD IS BEING PROCESSED. IF THEY HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE, THEY SHOULD NOT CARE WHO SEES! I WILL NOT EAT HAMBURGER EVER AGAIN. STEAK RIGHT NOW IS NOT THAT APPEALING. THE WORKERS ABUSING THESE ANIMALS SHOULD BE SENT TO PRISON. IF THEY HAVE SUCH LITTLE REGARD FOR LIFE, WHATS TO SAY THE DO NOT MISTREAT HUMANS?
Comment: I'm so glad I don't eat meat. The cruelty is sickening.
Comment: I think all of the slaughter houses should be like the one in MN. If people could see where their food comes from more vegetables would be eaten. - puppy2grand@yahoo.com
Comment: ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO, I WENT TO THE MAYOR OF CHINO, FRED AGUIRE, AND TOLD HIM OF MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE HALLMARK MEAT COMPANY. I WITNESSED THESE TYPES OF HORRIFIC ACTS OCCUR. THIS WAS BEFORE THEY PUT UP BRICK WALLS TO PREVENT THE PUBLIC FROM BEING ABLE TO VIEW WHAT WAS REALLY OCCURING THERE. I WAS TOLD BY THE MAYOR THAT THERE WERE NO LAWS IN PLACE THAT WOULD PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING, IT WAS A PROCESS HE SAID. SO BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR MORE THAN A DECADE AND THIS SICKENS ME TO NO END. I'M GLAD IT HAS MADE NATIONAL ATTENTION-IT IS PROBABLY HAPPENING EVERYWHERE, BUT EVERYONE TURNS THEIR HEAD THE OTER WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
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