Holy cow!


Holy cow! Posted by Picasa

I really like cows. Just like most people who live in big cities, I never see cows. Unlike most people, I do not eat cows. Especially in Japan, where most meat is imported, I think eating cows is a particularly bad idea.

Today, NHK and other media report that the US Agriculture Department says American meat processors failed in at least 1,000 cases to properly remove cow brains and spinal cords and comply with other rules to prevent the spread of BSE, or mad cow disease.

The USDA said it released documents to the American Meat Institute and the consumer group Public Citizen. The documents were released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, and are not made public yet. Public Citizen says the documents shows instances where US meat plants did not distinguish between older and younger animals, banned materials were not removed and tools not properly cleaned.

The problem is, Japan and the United States have reached a basic agreement to resume US beef imports of cattle 20 months or under. But the latest announcement "has shown a sloppy side of the US beef management system", says NHK. I couldn't agree more, but then again, I really like cows.

BSE/Food safety previous

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