Feds hope to speed tracking of tainted meat, poultry

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Hoping to eliminate a problem before it spreads rather than fighting an outbreak once it's discovered, the USDA announced Wednesday a new tracing method it hopes will protect consumers from eating contaminated meat and poultry.

The new strategy changes how meat and poultry processors and the U.S. Department of Agriculture trace E. coli contaminated food in the U.S. food chain.

According to the USDA, if food safety inspectors find E. coli during routine sampling, they will now move quickly to identify the supplier and target removing the tainted product from store shelves.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/02/health/usda-tainted-meat/index.html

[Baitball Blogger]

1. This is a good thing, yes?

[freshwest]

2. But I thought the recent problem was mad cow in both FL and CA. That's a feed problem, not packing.

the USA can get rid of factory farming. If not, there's vegetarianism and veganism. Millions of people around the world don't eat meat and living well and don't take these risks. We don't have to put up with these dangerous practices.

I'm not sure what this fast tracking means in the field. I read the process would be privatized. That fails because of a conflict of interest.

Regulators should be somewhat adversarial in enforcing regulations. And more people need to be hired for these jobs, not contracted out to the companies.

These event are likely the result of two things. The push to end regulation of everything since the Reagan era. And the increased population, urbanization and pressure on producers of all kinds of food. Surely we can do better than this.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. If they privatize, look for reduced liability regulation.

That would be the major indication that we're in for trouble. Because it will only take a few class action lawsuits to put an end to a private corporation's short cuts on a public health issue.

[PatrynXX]

3. well Pink Slime should be on the top of that list

since it's not safe enough even for the dogs.