posted on December 24, 2003 09:30:45 AM new
A Holstein cow slaughtered in Washington state earlier this month was infected with mad cow disease, marking the first time that the dreaded illness that devastated the beef industry in Britain has been detected in the United States, officials announced yesterday.
O'BRIEN: At the same time, it was certainly surprising to me to learn that a downed cow, or an animal that's so sick it can't even make its way on its own steam to the slaughter, would be killed and then the parts could actually make its way to store shelves. That was surprising to me. Are you convinced that there is no risk for a problem with the meat cuts that end up on store shelves from sick animals like this?
VENEMAN: Well, the scientific evidence has indicated to us that the meat from such an animal should be entirely safe to eat. Particularly when you remove the high-risk materials from it, I mean, these are animals that obviously we test, we removed the high-risk materials, that's the brain and the spinal column, that would cause the infectivity in humans. But there is no scientific evidence that the meat causes any risk to human health.
O'BRIEN: Why don't we do what they do in Great Britain and across Europe, which is test every single animal that's slaughtered as opposed to just the ones that are downed or the ones that are clearly showing evidence of sickness?
The brain and spinal tissues of the cow, the parts known to be affected by BSE, were diverted to a rendering plant where the tissues were heated and ground up. Murano said that the rendering plant might have turned the infected tissue into chicken feed or processed it for the cosmetics industry. Mad cow disease is not believed to be transmitted through those routes.
There is a small possibility chickens that ate the infected meat could have been slaughtered in turn and ended up as cattle feed -- but the disease has not been shown to be transmissible in this manner, said W. Ron DeHaven, deputy administrator and chief veterinary officer at the USDA.
Meat from the rest of the infected cow was sent to a deboning plant called Midway Meat and then to two processing facilities, Willamette and Interstate Meat, the USDA officials said.
Food safety advocates lashed out at the beef industry and the USDA for not clamping down on downer animals.
(Downer animals are animals that can't stand up anymore)
"We shouldn't be using downer cows in our food supply at all," said Karen Taylor Mitchell of the advocacy group Safe Tables Our Priority. "There is a USDA regulation about not using them for the school lunch program. Yet it is okay for the same children who are protected at school to go home and be served sick cows."
posted on December 24, 2003 10:11:44 AM new
Hi Helen,
Happy Holidays!
NPR reported this morning 5 or 6 countries have already banned imported U.S. beef. Russia has a temporary ban, with Mexico thinking about it. EU won't have to ban it,
they already won't import because U.S. farmers insist on using Growth Hormones.
posted on December 24, 2003 11:02:48 AM new
Helen, as always, you are very wise to try to stay away from meat. It has been reported that mad cow disease can live in a cow's system for up to 20 years without showing symptoms - not that cows ever get to live that long - but do people realize this? I mean, what does a person need to hear before they quit eating meat?
posted on December 24, 2003 11:48:27 AM new
It's good that I try to avoid red meat. Don't think I can become a vegetarian, though. I cannot stand soy anything. I have too many bad memories of the high school soy burgers back in the 70's!
I have a great deal of sympathy for an industry (farmer) that's already suffering. I wonder what this will do to them.
In addition, his department issued a "voluntary recall" early this morning for approximately 10,410 pounds of raw beef "that may have been exposed to tissues containing the infectious agents," he said. That consisted of the carcass of the diseased cow and 19 others that were processed at the same time.
The sick cow was sent to slaughter because of "partial paralysis" following complications in calving, and not because of any evident neurological problem, officials said. An Agriculture Department veterinarian examined the animal before slaughter and pronounced it acceptable, and confirmed on post-mortem that there was "some inflammation and hemorrhage in the pelvic canal," said another official on the conference call, Dr. Kenneth Petersen of the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
posted on December 24, 2003 02:25:23 PM new
moo. moo.
Moo. Moo!
Moo! DAMMIT! I SAID MOOOO!
Vegetarianism sounds like a good solution on so many levels, but it's sooo hard to practice when you nearly live at the fast food places. I'm single, male and just don't have time to cook!
An apple and salad just don't compare to a Wendy's Big Bacon Classic and fries.
-------------------
Replay Media
Games of all kinds!
posted on December 24, 2003 02:39:51 PM new
Bear, I don't think it's being paranoid to have 100% knowledge about what you put in your mouth. Don't you believe mad cow could be a potential disaster for meat eaters?
Replay, do it slowly if you decide to do it. Cut out bacon first and the rest will be easy, but if you take a year or 2 to do it properly, you'll never go back!
WASHINGTON — An investigation by the U.S. Agriculture Department into ConAgra Foods Inc.'s 2002 recall of more than 18 million pounds of ground beef found the recall was "ineffective and inefficient" and the vast majority of the meat was never accounted for.
The new report had harsh criticism for the plant and the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which oversees U.S. meat and poultry plants.
"Our audit found that neither ConAgra nor FSIS effectively fulfilled their responsibilities," the report said. "Data were available to both ConAgra and FSIS in the period prior to the recall that indicated E. coli 0157:H7 contamination was becoming a continuous problem at ConAgra."
[url]http://www.nader.org/interest/121903.html[/url
USDA vs John Munsell; December 19, 2003
Mr. Munsell charged that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) tried to drive him out of business because he exposed the department's failure to act on evidence that the giant ConAgra beefpacking company was shipping E. coli contaminated ground beef carrying the USDA's own seal of approval as wholesome.
Meat Inspectors who did their job often lost their job or were transferred.
posted on December 24, 2003 05:12:04 PM new
It's Darwin all over again. Survival of the fittest applies to the barnyard as well. If cows aren't making milk or calves they're only other useful purpose is hamburger.
dd
posted on December 24, 2003 06:24:23 PM new
I have applied this principal in the woods hunting. I have seen a buck deer come past me seemingly too disoriented to see me sitting there and as he went by his ribs were showing and his coar looked all patchy and dry.
I didn't shoot him because he didn't look healthy enough to feel safe eating.
Now that a disease similar to the Mad Cow disease has spread among the deer from Elk clear into Wisconson I won't chance eating ANY deer in Michigan even though it is not documented here yet.
posted on December 24, 2003 06:46:44 PM new
kraftdinner
How do you get past a dislike for soy in a vegetarian diet? I know there are things a vegan eats to get the necessary protein, but what of a picky eater? I could actually live on veggies. I take a plate full of fresh asparagas over a burger any day. At 5'6" and 110 lbs, I'm already small. I'm afraid I'd wither into nothing on a vegan diet. Any advice for someone wanting to give it a try?
posted on December 24, 2003 07:13:07 PM new
Helen,
I don't know about you, but the steaks I eat are from dead cattle, not sick ones....only you would suggest someone would slice a steak off a cow before it was dead.
Q & A Meat safety
Is it likely I will get sick from eating beef?
Scientists say the disease is found only in nerve tissue, specifically the brain and spinal cord. So experts say beef steaks and roasts are safe, along with hamburger ground from labeled cuts, such as chuck or round. Organ meat such as the liver and tongue also are safe.
Are processed beef products riskier to eat?
Slightly. Meat such as ground beef, hot dogs, taco meat, and luncheon meats are made from several sources of meat. They are obtained by machines, known as advanced meat recovery systems, that strip flesh from the spines and other awkwardly shaped parts of the cow. Some tests have detected tissue from the central nervous system in samples of beef products. However, many meat companies remove the spine and brain before slaughter.
Such tissues are not supposed to be in meat products in the United States unless they are labeled. Industry officials say Agriculture Department tests on beef products found incidental amounts of central nervous system cells.
Why are injured animals allowed into the food supply?
The cow was a 'downer' animal that was injured when giving birth. The Agriculture Department allows such animals into the food supply if they are not sick. Federal veterinarians check the animals for signs of illness before they are processed.
f an animal is sick, it isn’t allowed to be slaughtered for meat and tests are run to determine what ails it.
Often, downer animals are processed for pet food because their meat is rendered, a process that basically cooks the meat and kills disease.
Why are injured animals allowed into the food supply?
The cow was a 'downer' animal that was injured when giving birth. The Agriculture Department allows such animals into the food supply if they are not sick. Federal veterinarians check the animals for signs of illness before they are processed.
If an animal is sick, it isn’t allowed to be slaughtered for meat and tests are run to determine what ails it.
Often, downer animals are processed for pet food because their meat is rendered, a process that basically cooks the meat and kills disease.
"Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is "Political Correctness.'" --Charlton Heston
[ edited by BEAR1949 on Dec 24, 2003 07:27 PM ]
posted on December 24, 2003 07:20:58 PM new
Cheryl. a friends brother is a vegetarian and supplemented his diet with peanuts to get the extra protein and lots of fresh fruit.
After several years he developed long canine like insisors & he scratched a lot. Got so that when he stood up, his tail provided balance to keep him from falling over backwards.
"Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is "Political Correctness.'" --Charlton Heston
posted on December 24, 2003 07:28:42 PM new
Cheryl, it's a bit easier than you think. Everything has protein in it... vegetables have vegetable protein, nuts have nut protein, etc. You can get as much protein from a handful of almonds as a small steak. (Smoke House...yummm!!) Vegetables are high in protein too. I eat soy products but VERY rarely.
Another BIG benefit, is you can only get cholesterol from animal products - meat, cheese, milk, etc., so if you go total vegetarian, your chances of heart disease are slim.
But, you just have to do it slowly, like I told replay. Cut out the meat that you like the most (usually bacon, so I've read) and gradually keep cutting out meats. I still eat fish once in awhile, cheese, eggs, etc., but no land animals, and I don't miss it at all Cheryl.
I have tons of mixed salad recipes. Here's one I love...
Wild Rice Salad
4-5 cups of cooked wild rice, cold
1 large green onion
10 dried apricots sliced in strips
10 sliced cherries (fresh or canned)
1/2 can of water chestnuts sliced in strips
1/2 - 3/4 c. cashew pieces
Olive oil
I used canned cherries and save half & freeze. I drain well and use the juice and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil. Blend in blender or mix well and pour over everything & mix.
posted on December 24, 2003 10:28:50 PM new
Mad cow is a very scary issue. Not only from the issue of health. It's an indication of the insecurity of our modern food supply. As a rancher who eats lots of meat, ALL of which I raise save pork, some comments:
Bear, being concerned about the safety of the food supply in this country is rational, not paranoid. Simple E-Coli poisoning has killed lots of kids in this country in recent years, and it's estimated that 9000 people a year die in the US each year from eating contaminated food. Look it up, it's a very serious matter. One meat handler in a plant that processes ground beef who goes to the bathroom and doesn't wash his hands can contaminate thousands of pounds of ground meat, that is then shipped out to many states. Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it's "paranoid" to be worried about it.
kraft: I respect and applaud your lifestyle choice. If you aren't in a position to raise your own meat, IMO, deciding not to eat any is a rational decision. Having said that, and given that you indicate you don't know what a healthy cholesterol level is, how do you know your vegetarian diet is doing you any good? Lots of people, myself included, who eat meat 3 times a day have very low cholesterol levels, and plenty of vegetarians, smugly thinking their diet gives them some sort of immunity, are coronaries waiting to happen. Also, a note about slaughter. When we kill a steer, or lamb or kid goat, it's carcass is hung for a time to bleed out. In commercial slaughter operations, this isn't possible. Meat is processed as soon as the animal is killed, eviscerated and skinned. Because of this, it's necessary to bleed the animal quickly, and , sorry if you're squeamish, a beating heart is the quickest way to evacuate the blood supply of an animal. For that reason, the animals are stunned, essentially and hopefully brain-dead by the use of electricity or a captive-bolt gun. Believe it or not, these are actually more humane than simply cutting an animal's throat. The problem is, it often isn't done correctly and the animals suffer needlessly. I've spent time in commercial slaughterhouses, and they are horrible places. What's bottom line scary about the food industry is how centralized it is, and the fact that like any other business, profit comes first and public safety, in spite of all our well-intentioned regulations, last.
What's for Christmas dinner?
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on December 24, 2003 10:33:51 PM new
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I'm thinking very seriously about swearing off venison and elk. I'll miss the elk especially. One good bull gives us a winter's worth of steaks and roasts. Colorado elk have been found to carry a disease related to mad cow. We usually hunt in Colorado. Not any more. It's going to be local elk or none.
___________________________________
The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on December 25, 2003 04:51:47 AM new
Thanks, Kraft! The recipe sounds great and on Friday when I'm insane enough to go to the grocery store, I'm getting the ingredients to make it! Cutting out red meat won't be hard because I barely eat it now. And since I'm lactose intolerant I eat very little dairy (I do load up on Calcium tablets) so dairy products won't be hard either. I do, however, eat a lot of chicken. That will be more difficult.
Reacting to the announcement about the infected cow made late Tuesday, traders on Wednesday beat down the price of beef futures on the commodity exchange by 1.5 cents a pound, the daily limit, and the stock of the McDonald's Corporation fell 5.2 percent, to $23.96 a share, the day's worst performance among the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial average. Tyson Foods, the world's biggest meat processor, fell 7.7 percent, to $12.90 a share.
Agriculture officials, meanwhile, repeated their assertions that meat from sick animals is not infectious — only tissues in the nervous system — and that those tissues are unlikely to enter the food supply of people or of animals susceptible to the disease. But they issued a "voluntary recall" for more than 10,000 pounds of beef.
Congress has been battling the Cattleman's Beef Association for years....
In the last few years, Congress has come close to approving legislation to prohibit the slaughter for human consumption of "downer" cattle — those that cannot walk. The inability to walk can be caused by many factors, but it is one symptom of mad cow disease.
The measures have been vigorously opposed by the farm lobbies and have been blocked by leaders from both parties on the House Agriculture Committee.
In 2001 and 2002, the legislation was passed by the House and Senate as part of a large farm bill, but the committee leaders saw to it that the provisions were not in the bill that came out of the conference committee. This year, the Senate favored a rider on the agriculture appropriations bill that would have prevented the slaughter of these cows. In July, the prohibition was rejected by the House, 202 to 199, and it is not part of the omnibus spending bill now before Congress.
Representative Gary L. Ackerman, Democrat of Queens, the chief sponsor of the legislation in the House this year, argued in the debate that it would "improve the safety of our food supply and prevent animals such as these from entering our food chain."
posted on December 25, 2003 09:24:49 AM newhogwash.
Helen we are talking about beef not pork.
The idea is to be selective in the cut of beef you eat. Reread the article. Steaks & roasts do not contain the problems. Processed meats, Hamburger, hot dogs & etc are the ones with the potential of carrying the disease.
Kraft any cholesterol lever below 200 is considered good.
"Another plague upon the land, as devastating as the locusts God loosed on the Egyptians, is "Political Correctness.'" --Charlton Heston
posted on December 25, 2003 09:27:03 AM new
I believe the author is Richard Rhodes, the book's title is "Deadly Feasts". Traces the history of 'mad cow disease' by scientists. A very fascinating book and very informative.
Feeding cattle their own bloodmeal and other offal in their feed is known to be the major cause of BSE, yet the practice was not halted until around 1997 in the U.S, according to yesterday's news.
Jacob-Kreutzfeld disease is not a nice way to go.
posted on December 25, 2003 11:13:30 AM new
Prof, I'm not a vegetarian, I just don't eat land animals, so I could have high cholesterol - you're right. But you can't get added cholesterol from non-animal products, so a total meatless diet IS healthier, cholesterol wise. There are other things though, besides cholesterol, wrong with meat.
People that eat commercially processed meat are playing Russian roulette, imo. To think, or to be told that vaccines, hormones, antibiotics, etc., don't invade an animals muscles, and that by the time it all reaches your dinner plate, these chemicals have magically dissappeared, is false. I'm suspicious about the role animal products plays on our immune system. I believe there is a link to certain cancers. I also think there is a link between processed milk and arthritis, especially rheumatoid.
I'm not fooling myself either. I know I could croak from e-coli if I happened upon a tainted head of lettuce, so, in a way, ALL eating is a Russian roulette game.
As for mad cow, because the disease stems from a faulty protein, I wonder how long it's been in our food supply without being detected. If it can go undetected in cows for so many years, can it also go undetected in humans for years? Is it worth the risk?
Prions, the elusive and mysterious protein particles that cause mad cow disease, have been detected for the first time multiplying in the muscle tissues of laboratory mice.
As a result of the unexpected finding, prion researchers are urging that cattle muscle tissue -- especially the kind that winds up in cuts like rump steak -- be studied for evidence of the lethal proteins.
This topic is 8 pages long: 1new2new3new4new5new6new7new8new
would suggest someone would slice a steak off a cow before it was dead.
