Safer beef
August 13, 2005
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/opinion/13sat1.html
Fears of another case of mad cow disease in the United States have, according to this editorial, faded for the time being because tests on the most recent suspect animal came back negative. But that is no reason to feel confident about the American beef supply. The editorial says that American cows still eat food that can potentially infect them with mad cow disease. American meatpackers use dangerous methods that other countries ban. And the United States Department of Agriculture does not require enough testing to ensure that American beef is completely safe.
U.S.D.A. officials and spokesmen for the meatpacking industry argue that the public is protected by current safety procedures. The chance of human infection is indeed very low - but the disease that mad cow induces in human is always fatal, so extreme caution is warranted. The Agriculture Department is hamstrung by its dual and conflicting mission: to promote the nationís meat industry and to protect the consumer. Itís clear, the editorial says, which is winning.
In April, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns suggested that the mad cow rules might even be relaxed to allow companies to sell some cows too sick to walk for use in human food. Instead of reacting to the confirmation of a case of mad cow in June by fixing the remaining loopholes in the system, Mr. Johanns announced that he had eaten beef for lunch.
The editorial goes on to say that U.S.D.A. says its inspectors can ensure that companies protect the beef supply. But whistle-blowing meat inspectors contend that they lack the power to do their job, and that the agency lets companies pile up violations without any penalties.
Boneless steaks and roasts are probably safe to eat. The riskiest meats are ground beef, hot dogs, taco fillings and pizza toppings - the things children love. These products can come out of ìadvanced meat recoveryî machines: rubber fingers that strip a carcass clean. These machines are banned in Europe and Japan, and some American meatpackers have stopped using them.
Still, thereís no law against them, even though a U.S.D.A. study in 2002 found that only 12 percent of the plants it examined consistently produced meat from these machines that was clean of nervous system tissue. Regulations have been tightened, but they still allow the use of these machines to include nervous system tissue as long as it comes from young cows.
The story concludes that instead of winning other nationsí trust by improving safety, Washington relies on clout. President Bush has personally lobbied Japan to accept American beef. Beef producers need not improve their safety practices when the Agriculture Department acts as their marketing arm. It is time for Americans to have the protection of a food safety agency separate from U.S.D.A.
