Meat Solutions?

After the recall of 10,000 pounds of beef on Christmas eve, the US Department of Agriculture quickly announced changes intended to bolster consumer confidence. These include getting test results of suspect cows before (not after) their meat is processed; keeping head and spinal tissue from cattle older than 30 months out of the food supply; not using meat from "downer" cows (animals who appear ill or lame); and stopping slaughterhouse practices that could allow meat to be accidentally contaminated with nervous system tissue.

The big picture that needs to be addressed, however, is our nation's pervasive lack of adequate food safety oversight, which allows all sorts of contaminated foods to come to market. Foodborne illness is on the rise and exposures to potentially fatal salmonella, E. coli 0157:H7 and other bacteria may come from eating produce as well as meat, poultry and dairy products. In the meantime, when we do eat meat and poultry we can choose certified organic. This label assures that the animals have only been fed grass or organic feed, which cannot contain ground up animal parts. Other solutions include buying locally, from farmers who can give assurances as to their methods, or looking for labels such as "Free Farmed" that certify that animals have been raised humanely without overcrowding that promotes the spread of disease. (See our product reports on meat, poultry and eggs for shopping guides.) More than ever it's important for consumers to ask where our food comes from and how it is produced.