First off, I don’t believe there is a significant risk associated with the beef that was recalled.  In other words, if you are buying ground beef, don’t stop for fear that you are putting your family in danger.   The recall was made because cattle that should have been subject to further inspection before being allowed into the food chain were not inspected.  These same cattle had already passed a pre-processing inspection earlier in the day before they were brought into the plant.  As far as BSE is concerned, cattle exhibiting signs of BSE would have been exhibiting them at the pre-processing stage. 

 I am glad the recall was made.  The regulations put in place to safeguard the food supply must be enforced.  I also have very strong personal feelings about mistreatment of any living creature, and a shutdown and recall was no more than what was deserved in this case.  The animal welfare atrocities at that plant were unforgivable; I hold the hands-on perpetrators no more at fault than the managers and plant owners.  I admit I was not sad to hear the plant would likely be closing in the face of the financial woes stemming from this ordeal. 

Personality defects of individual workers notwithstanding, my opinion of why the atrocities were committed is that the issue comes down to keeping costs down and profits up.   Getting those downed animals through as quickly as possible was the most economical thing to do—unless you got caught.  I applaud the USDA’s enforcement and quick action.  I also think it is appropriate that they are requiring Hallmark/Westland to pay for the costs of the inquiry.

Why was so much of this beef headed for schools and government institutions?  Because it was the cheapest available that met their minimum quality and safety requirements.   Institutional food budgets are notoriously tight.  Schools frequently struggle to maintain nutritional standards, much less have the freedom to opt for such attributes as locally produced,  fresh (as opposed to canned or frozen), humanely raised, or organic. 

America thrives on cheap food.  Our food supply is abundant and takes up very little of our income, relative to virtually every other part of the world.  America’s food supply is also among the safest in the world.  Cheap food on a large scale is produced through large-scale production and processing.  Cheap food is important for much of our nation’s population, whose nutritional status (especially of children) would suffer if food was more expensive. 

While there are no easy answers, accountability is key to maintaining safety and preventing more incidences like these.  As a food production industry (speaking as a beef producer) we have a responsibility to be self-monitoring.  As consumers (speaking as a Mom), we also must hold our food providers accountable, AND we must accountable ourselves in the form of being willing to pay a fair price for what we demand. 

1. gloria Says:
   March 10th, 2008 at 1:24pm

   As a mom, do you let your kids eat school lunches, knowing what you know about the quality of food school lunch services buy?



2. Sara Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 8:19am

   I have an easy out on this one, because my children attend a Montessori school where they MUST take their own lunches.

   If that were not the case, however, I would likely send my own lunches most of the time. Our own diet has so much more fresh food (especially home grown), less sugar and less processed ingredients than the typical American diet, that I prefer my food to the school’s. I feel that same way about what they eat at many other people’s houses and “kid-focused” restaurants so it’s not a school-lunch specific issue.



3. suzannabanana23 Says:
   March 12th, 2008 at 10:00am

   Gosh, Sara, those photos on TV are so awful. Do you really feel there is no food safety problem? Is it just that it makes you feel sorry for the animals so you worry about the safety? As a producer that cares for your animals, what do you think?