Tue, 06 Oct 2009

E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection

They say all we have to do is to track every head of livestock from birthing barn to slaughterhouse and we'd eliminate all food poisoning cases. If we know where the sick critters are, the reasoning goes, we can keep them out of the system. But how in the world would NAIS cure this? Most food borne illnesses are not diseases in livestock, but are introduced through factory farming methods and piss ass poor slaughterhouse procedures. Not to mention a supply chain that boggles the mind...

The frozen hamburgers that the Smiths ate, which were made by the food giant Cargill, were labeled “American Chef’s Selection Angus Beef Patties.” Yet confidential grinding logs and other Cargill records show that the hamburgers were made from a mix of slaughterhouse trimmings and a mash-like product derived from scraps that were ground together at a plant in Wisconsin. The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria.

Until and unless we are ready to come to grips with the fact that it's the system of food processing that's the culprit, and not the livestock producer, we will be utterly powerless against these outbreaks. And more people will be paralyzed, or worse.

Stephanie Smith, a children’s dance instructor, thought she had a stomach virus. The aches and cramping were tolerable that first day, and she finished her classes.

(link) [New York Times]

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