Friday, November 19, 2004
mad cow, influence peddling, and lame farming
Apparently, the US Department of Ag must be conducting focus groups to determine the preferred age and origin of 3 cows which are currently being tested for Mad Cow Disease.
That is the conclusion I've come to after reading a Reuters article about the cattle industry and "best/worst mad cow scenarios."
Despite the fact that someone, somewhere must know the identity of these cows since they are being tested, no information has been forthcoming regarding the cows' age or location.
Personally, I haven't eaten hamburgers at McDonald's or any other national fast food chain since I read Fast Food Nation over 3 years ago. The only places I ever order hamburger is at Burgerville or at a McMenamin's restaurant since both use Oregon Country Beef. And when I buy beef, it's directly from the farmer who raised it.
Heck, since the US Department of Ag (or whoever is still responsible for food safety in this country) wants to be cagey about details regarding food they'd like me to consume, I figure it's in my best interest to be equally cagey about spending my money on products that are possibly unsafe to eat.
Especially when I consider that the cattle industry spends a lot of money trying to influence our government. And because so many officials in our government come from the companies they are charged with regulating.
And especially since most hamburger meat in this country is produced from corn-fed cattle, which is both unhealthy and not resource efficient (why grow grain to feed cattle, when cattle are meant to eat grass instead?)
¶ 7:03 PM
Apparently, the US Department of Ag must be conducting focus groups to determine the preferred age and origin of 3 cows which are currently being tested for Mad Cow Disease.
That is the conclusion I've come to after reading a Reuters article about the cattle industry and "best/worst mad cow scenarios."
Despite the fact that someone, somewhere must know the identity of these cows since they are being tested, no information has been forthcoming regarding the cows' age or location.
Personally, I haven't eaten hamburgers at McDonald's or any other national fast food chain since I read Fast Food Nation over 3 years ago. The only places I ever order hamburger is at Burgerville or at a McMenamin's restaurant since both use Oregon Country Beef. And when I buy beef, it's directly from the farmer who raised it.
Heck, since the US Department of Ag (or whoever is still responsible for food safety in this country) wants to be cagey about details regarding food they'd like me to consume, I figure it's in my best interest to be equally cagey about spending my money on products that are possibly unsafe to eat.
Especially when I consider that the cattle industry spends a lot of money trying to influence our government. And because so many officials in our government come from the companies they are charged with regulating.
And especially since most hamburger meat in this country is produced from corn-fed cattle, which is both unhealthy and not resource efficient (why grow grain to feed cattle, when cattle are meant to eat grass instead?)
¶ 7:03 PM
