So, another food recall? This is getting ridiculous as far as the Gorilla is concerned. General Mills now says it’s recalling several brands of its Totino’s brand pizzas due to an outbreak of E. coli. It is suspected that the problem may stem from pepperoni produced at an Ohio plant. The company says that state and federal authorities have been investigating 21 E. coli cases in 10 states. 9 of those reported eating the popular Totino’s brand pizza, before becoming ill.
Recently, Topps Meat Co LLC, the biggest manufacturer of frozen hamburgers in the country, went out of business after the recall of 21.7 million pounds of beef linked to 30 cases of E. coli-related illness, literally crushing the meat company’s business. It was the fifth-largest meat or poultry recall in U.S. history, the USDA said. No deaths were reported in the outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7, which can cause debilitating diarrhea and dehydration.
So, what’s going on with our meat supply in the U.S.? Why isn’t the Federal government enacting tighter restrictions and regulations for suppliers of frozen prepared meats? It is a well know fact that healthy livestock carries the E. coli bacteria in their intestines. That is unavoidable unless you don’t eat meat, so when the meat comes to us raw, it is our responsibility to handle it properly by washing our hands thoroughly, after handling and cooking it to the proper temperature. But when it comes to prepared meats (cooked) that come to us frozen, we certainly have no control over how it was previously handled prior to arriving in our kitchens. What’s a meat-lover to do? The Gorilla is starting to consider something he never would have in the past; becoming a vegetarian. Not a bad idea!
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:47 am
I am a vegetarian for that very reason. The thought of red meat or ANY meat now disgusts me! Now I am in control! Remember though, E. coli can be spread from person to person as well, so even us vegetarians can still get it!
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Good point GORILLA! It is shameful how our government let this happen. The restrictions should have been put in place a long time ago.
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Maybe the Government should work for better enforcement of existing regulations. It seems whenever things like this happen the first response is for more regulation, laws, red-tape. When the items on the books already are not being totally and competantly enforced.
Become a vegetarian? What about the spinach and other vegetable recalls not too long ago? Consumers did not wash their salad enough. Do not put all the blame on the product. As the Gorilla points out, the consumer must take personal responsibility.
November 4th, 2007 at 9:09 am
The government restrictions are the problem not the solution. Government regulation gives a false sense of security to the consumer, that the government is taking care of it so why worry? But in fact thousands die from contaminated foods and the government does not and should not be in the business of food inspection. There are three solutions the the problem of contaminated meat.
The most obvious is to be vegitarian it is a lot healthier for both the gorilla nad the cow; the problems with the spinach as I recall was not the product but went back to meat and its filth. The second solution is personal responsibility, something lacking in modern American society due to the false belief the government can, would or should protect us.
The most obvious answer as always is free market where companies like UL are in business to certify products. Imagine the possibilities of business that make money inspecting food. Imagine the consumer that gets to decide to get the inspected food or save a dollar and get not inspected food, I picture the meat producers looking to be inspected by the best respected inspectors.
November 5th, 2007 at 10:05 am
There are regular incidents where bacteria contaminated foods are consumed. The food processing industry has standards that they are supposed to work to, and there are new techniques being researched to safeguard our food supply. The E-Coli and salmonilla contaminations in raw produce point out that these techniques should be utilized across the board, for raw foods, canned and bottled foods, as well as meat, fish and poultry.
Essentially, all foods need to be grown in a manner that produces the healthiest products. Food processing occurs shortly after the food is harvested. It is this food processing which is responsible for preparing the food in a safe manner and eliminating bacteria that is contaminating the food.
Vegetables most often see bacteria contamination from animal feces. While you would think this wouldn’t be a problem in modern agriculture, there are rodents, deer, dogs, etc. that leave behind undesirable elements in the vicinity of plants, and this can lead to contamination. If food is properly prepared, whether it be animal or vegetable, it won’t be contaminated.
Consumers need to press for food processors to adopt the latest techniques to safeguard the food supply. It is actually somewhat straightforward for a food processor to prove that they are using appropriate techniques and that they are taking regular samples to ensure food safety. A company that takes short cuts in order to eliminate some expense should pay a heavy price, with possible government fines but more importantly losses due to liability lawsuits. That will cause a move to use the techniques and to keep an audit trail to prove that they are doing everything they can to safeguard our food supplies.
Mark
November 6th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I am put off by the suggestions that all or most of the food contamination problems could be solved if, as it is suggested, we all become vegetarians. This smacks of a hidden agenda and, frankly, that offends me. The world population has grown over the last thousand years eating meat. Any meat related contamination problems have been very few and far between. Good or bad, meat consumtion is here to stay.