USDA refuses to tell which stores received meat from infected cow

[baby_bear]

In an article in this morning's Seattle P-I
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/154552_madcow30.html
USDA spokeswoman Julie Quick disingenuously gave the reason why the names of the stores are not being divulged.

<snip>
(Federal officials) have not released the names of the stores where the beef ended up. Asked why, USDA spokeswoman Quick said they have relied on stores that bought the products to contact customers because "that was the fastest and most efficient way."
</snip>

Right. I know which store I bought the hamburger in my freezer from, but how does the store know I bought it there? Wouldn't it be "faster and more efficient" if the USDA announced the name of the stores and let me decide whether I might have bought some beef there recently?

Why don't they just tell the truth and say that they are continuing to protect industry, not consumers. At least I would give them credit for being honest, if still sleazy.

I think this warrants letters to my senators and representative.

s_m

[MoonRiver]

1. GO VEG!

I don't think even Arsecrack can force meat down my throat.
:evilgrin:

[Heddi]

2. From what I understand

from reading Fast Food Nation, the USDA has no AUTHORITY to give this information out, and citizens can't get this info from the meat companies under the FOI Act because of heavy lobbying on the part of the Meat Industry, and laws passed during Regan, Bush I and Bush II.

Also note that heads of the USDA, Agriculture Dept and other 'watchdog' groups are typically ex-Meat Conglomerate CEO's.

I live in Seattle, and alot of stores have removed ground beef that came from Interstate Farms. But alot of stores say that their meat didn't come from Interstate Farms.

What about the meat that was sold 2 weeks ago? A week and a half ago?

How do you know where the fuck your ground meat came from when you buy it in a store package that they made from the pounds and pounds they got from the meat companies? The meat I buy, when store packaged, just has the type of meat, weight, cost per oz/lb, cost of the package, and use-by date.

Please. EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ FAST FOOD NATION.

I'm not going veg, but I am using ALOT of TOfu these days as meat replacement and I told my husband last night that we are NEVER EVER EVER eating at McDonalds again (not that we do so on a regular basis--maybe once a year or less)

[AP]

5. In the UK they said cheap meat was probably source of most dangerous beef

because they're the sloppiest in terms of removing bone, spinal cord and brain material that gest mixed up with the rest of the meat.

Many people who died were younger people who statistically were more likely to buy fast food burgers.

However, there was a case in a small town where several people who didn't know each other were infected and they traced it back to a single butcher shop, they believe. My memory is hazy, but I think there was some evidence that that shop was a little sloppy about removing the dangerous parts from the meat they sold.

[Heddi]

7. oh yeah of course it's the worst

but also look at the meat packing plants and slaughter houses. They have no OSHA oversight b/c of continued cuts of OSHA personel (something like 1 OSHA agent for 500 factories or something like that). There's no federal oversight because the 'oversight agencies' are former employees of the companies they're supposed to watch over. The entire INDUSTRY is in cahoots with the Republicans who have favoured deregulation and allow these companies to do whatever they want however they want with little or no recourse if they don't do the job well.

And cheap meat isn't just for the young folks--it's for the poor folks as well.

I mean, you can get 7% fat ground beef for $4.99/lb, or 90% fat ground beef for $.89/lb (in the store). It's just as profitable for fast food companies and shady restaurants to cut down on quality to increase profits.

And the USDA program for school lunches--until recently there was no e.Coli testing for school lunch program, and downers were routinely used for meat for school lunch programs. One meat plant that produced like 80% of school lunch meat was closed down by OSHA for producing food "unfit for human consumption"---and this was meat that our CHILDREN WERE EATING.

The entire industry is sloppy.

We had years to learn from the UK's mistake. We could have learned from their control of the mistake afterwards. Now they have testing, as do many other countries.

But the US is profit driven. And when you have Cattlemen policing Cattlemen, and the entire industry is allowed to do whatever it wants because of their strong ties to Republicans in Senate, Congress, and the White House, you're bound to have shit like this happen.

It wasn't ever a matter of "IF" Mad Cow hit the US. it was a matter of WHEN WOULD IT BE DETECTED

[baby_bear]

8. If that's true, Heddi....

then why didn't the USDA spokeswoman say "We would release the information, but we are not allowed to under law" or something to that effect, rather than spouting that statement about it being faster and more efficient for the stores to do it?

I'm not saying you're wrong, and you probably are right. I just get tired of the disingenuous answers we get from the Bushies.

And if the people aren't allowed to get that information from their government, fewgawdsake, shouldn't we know that, and shouldn't we know why not?

Well, I wrote to my senators, my congressman, and to the Seattle P-I. Maybe someone will explain what the truth is.

s_m

P.S. You're right about Fast Food Nation. And I think it's getting wide-spread attention. I took months for me to get a copy reserved from the Seattle library last year.

[Heddi]

10. Probably because if they said that

then people would go apeshit.

By saying that it's faster and more efficient for the stores, people will believe that, NOT ask questions, not ask why it wouldn't be JUST as fast and JUST as expedient for the USDA to release that information, and will let it go'


Here is what FFN says : pg 213:

A subsiquent investigation by Cox News Service...found that the USDA does not inform the public when contaminated meat is recalled from fast food restaurants. "We live in a very litigious society," Jaque Knight, a USDA spokeman explained; if every meat recall was publicly announced, companies would face problems from 'everybody with a stomach ache.'

Between 1996 and 1999, the USDA didn't tell the public about more than 1/3 of the Class I recalls, cases in which consumers faced a serious and potentially lethal threat. THe USDA now informs the public about every Class I recall, but it will not reveal exactly where the contaminated meat is being sold (unless it is being distributed under a brand name at a retail store)

....Both the USDA and the meatpacking industry argue that details about where a company has distributed its meat must not be revealed in order to protect the firm's "trade secrets."

...In January 2000 the USDA decided to announce every meat recall with an official press release; the recalls are also noted on the agency's web site. THe new policy, however, has not made it any easier to learn where contaminated meat has been sold. "Press releases will not identify the specific recipients of product," the USDA directive says, "UNLESS THE SUPPLIER CHOOSES TO RELEASE THE INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC."

And I guess I should state that i was wrong about not getting the info under FOI---that was with regards to another matter (pg. 215):

Under the new regulation, every slaughterhouse and processing plant...would be required to impliment a government sponsored HACCP plan and submit meat to the USDA for microbial testing....The USDA plan, however, had been significantly watered down....The records compiled by employees, would not be available to the public through the Freedom of Information Act, and meatpacking plants would not be required to test for E.coli 0157:H7..."

So I was wrong about not being able to find out about where the meat went via FOI....so it would be interesting if someone tried to get that info since the USDA is so...unwilling to do their job....

[baby_bear]

15. Thanks, Heddi!

I will get in contact with the P-I reporter and find out what HE knows about FOIA ability to get that info. I would think that a reporter would know that for sure, especially after getting stiffed by Ms. Quick. By the way, when I read the FFN quote, I seemed to remember USDA Sec. Anne Venneman saying that this "recall" of "contaminated "beef" would be "class II." I have a feeling that that means a lot in terms of information sharing. That's just memory and speculation on my part, though.

This is really fascinating, if not outright horrifying. This mad cow incident has really made me angry. And that's good, right? There are plenty people, like at FFN and Farm Sanctuary that have been telling all of us all along, but like most, I preferred to ignore it.

No more.

Thanks again, Heddi --
s_m

:toast:

[murielm99]

17. I suggested that yesterday, hon.

Yes! Please read Fast Food Nation!

[qb]

3. Since the pukes took over Washington

The USDA has been a fully-owned subsidiary of the Meat lobby. I second the "Fast Food Nation" recommendation.

[AP]

4. This is why it's bad to have Republicans married to business running gov't

Fuck the consumers and fuck the citizens.

They only do what's good for business.

[bleedingheart]

6. This reminds me of the sulfanilamide controversy of the

early part of the 1900's... more than 100 people died when the Massengil company distributed an untested sulfanilamide syrup which used a mixing agent which destroyed people's kidneys and subsequently killed them.

Massengil wasn't so forthright at first in helping to notify people and it led to more deaths...and that doesn't even begin to describe the absolute lack of compassion the pharmacist/researcher had regarding the problem....he thought it was okay to send out untested product to an unknowing public..

[CivilRightsNow]

9. Safeway, Interstate Meat Distrubutors and Winco

http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E1855851,00.html

As a search for the cow's origin intensified, it was revealed the bovine was slaughtered Dec. 9 at a plant in Moses Lake, Wash.

The meat -- although no spinal or brain tissue -- was sent to a pair of processing plants in Portland.

One of them was Interstate Meat Distributors Inc., which supplies ground beef to a number of supermarket chains, including two that operate stores in Humboldt County: WinCo Foods and Safeway Inc.

Representatives from both chains told the Associated Press all of its stores had voluntarily removed ground beef it received from Interstate Meat.
---- snip

Sunny Dene Ranch in Mabton was the originating point, evidently.
http://www.kstp.com/article/view/125617/

The USDA said the infected cowwas slaughtered at Vern's Moses Lake Meat, Inc., in Moses Lake, about 70 miles northeast of Mabton, on Dec. 9, after she became paralyzed, apparently as a result of calving.

Vern's was voluntarily recalling about 10,410 pounds of beef, though Agriculture officials said there was an "extremely low likelihood" it contains the infectious agent.

The USDA said the meat - though no contaminated spinal or brain tissue - was sent to two Oregon processing plants, Willamette Valley Meat Co. and Interstate Meat Distributors Inc. in the Portland metropolitan area.

http://www.kstp.com/article/view/125617/



So, you figure Winco is mainly in that area, if you shop at a store on that list, you may want to be concerned. And I doubt that the parts could have gotten that far out of the NW. I mean, if you think about it.. why ship ground beef, probably the biggest culprit, very far? This cow doesnt even concern me as much because they say it died giving birth. If the cow wasnt killed with blunt trauma then the chances of contamination are lessened.

What does concern me, is how many cows there are that have been processed besides this cow.

If this particular cow got it from contaminated feed, wouldnt it be reasonable to assume that a couple more had as well?

If it was passed down via the mother then wouldnt she give it to all her calfs? These cows are pumped up on hormones and aggressively bred.. so there have to be some more..

Anyway you dice it, this is bad news.

[Malva Zebrina]

11. It's pretty bad when citizens cannot rely upon their government to

safeguard their health.

What are people supposed to do now? There are many who do not understand what has happened here and what they are supposed to do. So they are left to go hysterical. What do we do , George? Do you care to make a statement from your bunker on the pig farm with your pig o lump o frump in attendance? Is there anything we can do to prevent getting sick or to protect our children? Where are you you despicable coward? What do we do, George? What do YOU do George, other than having mice eat your food first to determine if there are harmful substances in there. When you go to the cheap Crawford diner, do you bring your mice with you?

[Nikia]

12. My boss says he read the details

I don't know where he read it, but said that up to 10,000 pounds of beef could have been affected. It went to Western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Some stores have notified people and some people have called the USDA saying that they are sure that they have consumed that meat. The USDA maintains that the meat was probably safe and contained no neaural tissue.

[HereSince1628]

13. Which other gov. agencies have an oar in the water?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have an interest but having worked with them I think there needs to be a case of disease to get the EIS involved.

Does FDA have an interest if there is distribution of a dangerous food product?

Of course none of these are independent of the administration that told us the air at ground zero was safe.

[gulliver]

14. Fine. As long as the White House orders their beef ...

... from those stores exclusively for the next several weeks.

I think folks would find that reassuring.

[maggrwaggr]

16. Wow. Every day it just gets worse, and more obvious

that our government just doesn't protect us anymore.

All they care about is bidness. bidness bidness bidness.

I am so sick and tired of this.

[mouse7]

18. Translation: Sirloin Steak $1.09 lb.!!!

I looked at the meat section at the store tonight. Lots of beef specials.

Gee thhhhhhhannnnks, but I'll pass.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

19. Just cook it real good.

If you cook anything hot enough it will kill
all the germs. Bon appetite.