NEWS: US Government Wants You to Eat Shit and Die

Pricks would rather let hundreds die than lose less money than they spend on coke and whores in an hour. How the hell could the meat industry possibly be hurt!?!

I really don't think "Fail" is gonna happen.

Poop is bad for you? Who knew? Nancy Pelosi looks pretty healthy to me.

Now this is where we get to vote with our dollars. The easy way to avoid food contaminants is to avoid the producers of BAD food. Granted, it may seem difficult to find a product that doesn't derive from ConAgra or Altrea (The Enron of food & tobacco), but if you are willing to spend a little more time (and money) you can find GOOD food. First, stop eating fast food. Second try and purchase your groceries from a local market that provides organic food, better yet, shop at your local farmer's market. Mega agribusinesses care only about one thing, maximum consumption at a minimum cost of production. The quality of food invariably suffers when it is mass produced, reprocessed and then packaged. The attention and care given to the produce itself should be at least as important as the bottom line.

Consider the recent news of contaminants in pet food and the long line connecting its production: wheat germ milled in China (contaminated with chemical toxins from plastic) is shipped to Canada where it is then processed into pet chow and packaged for distribution in the U.S. (likely other places too including Canada) where doting pet owners inadvertently poison their beloved animal friends. That long line of production is stretched so thin that little or no regulation or testing takes place. The only way to detect a problem is to analyze the symptoms suffered by the consumer (or their pet) and react only after poisoning or illness has occurred.

A final thought of consideration: shortening the food supply chain (in terms of distance) by keeping things local not only decreases the likelihood of contaminants entering the food supply, but it also significantly reduces the amount of energy used in its production. The U.S. has one the most inefficient system of food production in terms of cost of energy. Petroleum is king in agriculture, it is used in virtually every aspect of agriculture from fertilizer, to harvesting, processing and finally shipping (never mind the packaging that goes along with it)... I hardly need to harp any further about hydrocarbon pollutants, cost of fuel and national security regarding this subject alone. Do yourself and the world a favor and stop eating shit.

if the spinach gives you e-coli, how in hell can you trust the beef?

Where do you think the e-coli came from?

i think i'm just gonna stop eating.
or maybe i'll grow all my own food in some kind of sealed chamber.
hmmm, i'll get right on figuring that out.
next, someone's gonna tell me i'm not safe eating fish or cheese!
wait...i am safe...aren't i???

It's much safer up north, it seems.

Yeah, its sad but you know, you really aren't safe unless you grow pretty much all of your food yourself and raise your own livestock...
There was an article in the St.Petersburg times awhile back about how the flour that is produced in florida is contaminated with roach and rat droppings I believe...But of course it met the "Acceptable levels" permitted by the FDA so hardly anyone is batting an eye.

I would just like to state that I buy all my meat organic now. Not putting up with this shit anymore.

I just hope everyone takes notice of this and actually does something, at the very least, pay attention to who you're buying your meat from! I would really hope it doesn't have to come down to thousands dieing from mad cow disease before anyone opens their eyes to this issue.

Okay, maybe the headline should have said "Don't care if you eat shit and die" Does that make you feel better?

And, excuse me, those are the two choices? E coli laced beef or $10/per pound hamburger?

Gosh, I don't know why we don't just let you conservatives run the whole world.

^I'd definitely pay more for safe beef. It's not as if I'm eating a hamburger or steak every single day.

Nobody is saying you by law should have to test every one, they are saying any company should be allowed to test every one. And if enough people only buy the beef that is tested 100% then all the other companies will have to test. And then there will be a price war after all of them are 100% tested.
This is something I have heard of called capitalism I think.

There would be no reason to interfere with the free market in this instance, especially since for once it is on the side of not trying to fuck everyone over.
Well, unless you work in the beef industry.

The government here is forsaking free market capitalism and public health in exchange for a corporate protectionist policy. That is scary.

Let's review, campers:

it's a contraction of "it is."

its is the possessive of it.

If we're gonna play journalist, let's get the basics right.

from the cranky side of the bed,

tb

Wow. In 2000 the FDA lowered meat inspection standards to allow chickens with pneumonia and cows with tumors and open sores to be slaughtered and packaged for human consumption.

In 2007, they decided to abandon their worthless standards altogether and simply forego the whole worthless inspection process. Makes sense.

John Robbins, heir to the Baskin-Robbins fortune, has written a couple of compelling books on factory farming. It's a pretty nasty enterprise.

This doesnt really surprise me at all it's the same with most corporations nobody does anything 'til after something's actually happened,apparently its more cost effective that way. One of the tiles from the ceiling of the store where I work fell on someone's 6 month old baby the other month, suddenly the powers that be are realising that the ceiling "might" need repairing.

Both of Robbins's books are excellent and worth a read.

Some of my "Die Hard Meaty" friends objected to his appeals to compassion through cutesy animal pics and stories, but the evidence that Robbins provided shook them out of their comfy carnivore chairs/

BTW, "Herban Cowboy" is a great product line for men. I wish they still carried their products in stores here. Seems like they've sold out of every product.

I eat spinach,peanut butter and have increased my beef consumption. Greed will always win.

Well, yeah, until it doesn't.

In principle, I agree with you. In practice, it's a no go for me. I have a very limited food budget (perhaps $150 a month), and organic food doesn't just cost a little bit more, it costs a good 20+% more and not infrequently more than that. Which in turn means 20+% less food for me. That's just not a good trade. Organic food is a luxury item. It would be nice if it weren't, but it is.

If you have a few hours to spare on a weekly basis, offer to volunteer at one of your local organic food markets. I did this on a weekly basis when I was a (nearly) penniless college student in Chico California.

At the end of the day, I was offered all of the free "Take back" food that I wanted (take back food is fruits, veggies, and grains that have been taken off the shelf to leave room for new and fresh fruits, veggies, and grains)..

Good times. I worked my butt off carrying and opening boxes, but it was great exercise and the payoff was even greater.