Wed, 13 Jul 2005

New bill would allow beef to carry 'no mad cow' label

Even though this is only California, this would be a good thing - it would allow beef producers to test and label their own cattle as being "BSE-free". Which, rather unbelievably to some, is not the case now...

Current USDA regulations forbid me from testing any of the cattle I send to slaughter for BSE! The logic is rather, well, interesting:

Ben Higgins of the California Cattlemen's Association said it could scare consumers into thinking beef without the label is somehow unsafe.

"A notion like this perpetuates the notion that BSE is a legitimate food-safety risk," he said. "You have a much greater chance of being killed on the way to the store to buy beef than contracting BSE."

This is remarkably like the argument used by Monsanto in the 2003 Maine labeling case. There, dairies were prevented from stating on the label that their milk was free from bovine growth hormone, on the premise that this implied that being free from such artifical stimulants was better for you! Well, doh! And Monsanto won!

The food industry is currently embroiled in the controversy over obesity - some in the Nanny State would like to see Big Macs regulated out of existance. And they're fighting back by championing consumer choice and stressing individual responsibility. But these actions by industry members speak far louder to me than their words: they don't want accurate labeling, nor do they want consumer choice.

Supermarket shoppers can buy grass-fed beef, organic beef, Black Angus and so on -- but if a bill sponsored by a local lawmaker passes, consumers will also get to look for the "no mad cow" label.

(link) [RecordNet]

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