The good news is that hamburger isn’t what it used to be. Unfortunately, that’s also the bad news, and it’s enough to make you sick–and possibly kill you. The deadly lottery game of who will be stricken by the so-called “hamburger disease” is being forced on the public by antiquated regulation, misguided attempts at “reform” and the increased caseload that summer is expected to bring.
While some aspects of sanitation at meat-packing plants have improved, the inspection and regulation of food produced by these places hasn’t substantially changed since 1906. However, the volume and speed of processing has increased enormously, virulent strains of a deadly contaminating bacteria have emerged and we find ourselves fighting a battle for lives with turn-of-the-century techniques and rules.
For years, the United States Department of Agriculture has been considering changes to make our meat supply safer. But even if these proposals are implemented, the newly elected leaders of Congress, under the guise of regulatory reforms, would tie up the improved procedures indefinitely.
When I first got out of veterinary school, in the mid-1940s, I briefly worked in a food-inspection program with the U.S. and Illinois Departments of Agriculture. I primarily did field work, but on occasion went through a number of meat-packing houses.
Processing plants were smaller back then, the pace of work was slower and the deadly variant of the E. coli bacteria that now kills 500 people a year in this country wasn’t around. The level of cleanliness may not have been anything to boast about, but the inspectors I knew were all veterinarians and the techniques were the best available at the time. Veterinarians now serve in supervisory capacity rather than as line inspectors, but unfortunately the rest of the inspection procedures haven’t changed in the last 50 years.
This means the microscopic examination is not currently required–only a cursory visual glance that cannot detect the bacteria, E. coli resides in cow manure, which commonly becomes matted to hides before slaughtering. So the huge volume of production, forced by the rapid conveyor belts, can easily cause bits of fecal matter to mingle with the meat.
Meat processors cry that absolute safety is impossible. Does that mean that it shouldn’t be a goal? Other countries–particularly in the European Community–are implementing safer, more modern standards than we are, without undue expense.
If we want a clean food supply, then we need to keep intelligent regulation, and not reflexively throw over the public interest in order to help a few companies cut costs. If the government creates a level playing field with the same standards for all, then no company will be at a cost disadvantage.
Yes, there are precautions that people can take when cooking meat, but once the bacteria gets into the kitchen, it’s all too easy for it to spread simply by contact, such as when someone handles the contaminated food, wipes his hands on a towel and then uses the towel for something else. The best thing is to get rid of the bacteria at the source, which is the cow fecal matter that gets into the slaughtering process.
Those who want to cut back on regulatory red tape might say that the hundreds killed and the tens of thousands sickened each year are numbers too small to worry about–that many diseases kill far more. But this horrifying bacteria, which can destroy the kidneys and blood cells in small children, is spreading.
Dr. Patricia Griffin, of the Centers for Disease Control, cautions, “Don’t let anyone tell you this is rare.” And Dr. Glenn Morris of the USDA adds that “in some ways it’s becoming an epidemic.” However, E. coli contamination can be prevented through improved inspection procedures, while many illnesses cannot.
If the new majority in Congress succeeds in its misguided attempts at regulatory “reforms,” it will turn back the clock on the laws that shield the public. If the clock gets turned back any further at the USDA, the country’s health will take a leap back to the 1800s, and land in a packing house full of trouble.
