PFI to conference goers: Everything’s great, really
By Gina Spadafori
October 29, 2007
Back from Texas, with 70-odd pounds of grass-raised natural beef that I know for absolutely sure where it come from, because my friends are ranchers. The cattle were born and raised on their place, only leaving to head a couple towns over to meet the fate of beef cattle everywhere.
I know the animals there are treated with respect and compassion, because I saw that, too, and because I know my friends.
I wouldn’t go so far in trusting the Pet Food Institute, though. From the Cattle Network News, this meaty tidbit (thanks, Nadine):
In view of growing concerns about the safety of imports, no fewer than 13 bills relating to food safety are in play in Congress, Nancy Cook, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based Pet Food Institute, told attendees of the Meat Industry Research Conference at Chicago McCormick Place.
“Some involve inspections, others certification, penalties, record keeping and country-of-origin labeling. It’s not going to stop at pet food, either,” she said, acknowledging last spring’s massive recalls of melamine-laced pet food. “Have we figured out how to put a COOL label on a Hershey bar? It’s about 10 feet long.”
She warned that legislators and others involved in trade negotiations with China, the source of the melamine, “must walk a tightrope. We can’t insult them. They’re our largest growing supplier of ingredients in the world.”
Cook said that consumer surveys performed both during and after the melamine outbreak showed that the majority of U.S. pet owners remained confident in the safety of their pet foods. “Much like the BSE outbreak in 2003, there was initial panic, and then consumers returned to their customary purchasing habits.”
Nevertheless, she warned that processors must remain vigilant. “Know your suppliers,” she said.
Oh, heaven forbid our government actually work to protect consumers. Don’t the legislators know by now they work for lobbyists and foreign governments? And yes, let’s make fun of labeling. It’s not as if a majority of consumers don’t want Country of Origin Labeling on their food.
I mean, really.
On my trip, I continued reading Marion Nestle’s book “What To Eat.” Her discussions of labels, what they say, what they don’t say, what the companies think you’ll misunderstand and how everything got that way is a real eye-opener. A real important read.
Now, if y’all can quit arguing about city-country folk on the other post, because things aren’t always as black-and-white as maybe we think (or red and blue, whatever). My Texas rancher friends are city-born and -raised, and the one who’s from Chicago (she’s the real drive behind the ranch) is also a PhD economist.
Go figure.
(Update: I’ve added a picture of my friend Mary with two of her young Irish Dexter cows, Velvet (left) and Brasilia. Yes, they are small. They’re supposed to be.)
““Have we figured out how to put a COOL label on a Hershey bar? It’s about 10 feet long.””
maybe if they didn’t put so much unnecessary crap and pseudo ingredients in the Hershey bar it wouldn’t be an issue. ya think?! look at the ingredients for College Inn chicken broth, and then for the beef broth. unreal. Seriously though, why can’t they just put a country abbreviation after each ingredient listed? HOW hard is that?!oh, and use more real, whole food ingredients vs all the multi ingredients to simulate a whole ingredient taste. the bread i make has 4 ingredients, and one of them is water.
“Some involve inspections, others certification, penalties, *record keeping* and country-of-origin labeling. . . .”
record keeping?! OMG!! oh, the horrors!
” . . . there was initial panic, and then consumers returned to their customary purchasing habits.”
with the rolling recalls, they may be waiting for awhile for customers to “go back”. latest gallup poll supports that. and the recalls aren’t done according to consumer reports and some testing they’ve done. and for me personally, i don’t see hell freezing over anytime soon, lol!~ ;)
CNN is running a keeping them honest on the USDA right now and their recall delays. of course they’re blaming the consumer for their delays. the consumer could have contaminated the package of beef because it was open. cnn has some guy point out that it was a bacteria of a cows gut so how did the consumer contaminate it in their own home . . .
hey! ENJOY your beef! i so LOVE having a freezer full of safe meats!! i bought pork also and had some homemade italian sausage in my mediteraian
stir fry tonight (with all veggies from my CSA!) :)
now cnn has moved onto the CPSC and will be showing more tomorrow on them, lol!~
don’t forget the Pip update and pics tomorrow!!!
Comment by straybaby — October 29, 2007 @ 10:40 pm
Gina - Y’all came home with 70 pounds of grain-raised beef and y’all brought back a Texas accent along with it! :D
Comment by Nadine L. — October 30, 2007 @ 2:38 am
GRASS-fed beef, thank you much! :)
I lived in the South (South Georgia, Florida Panhandle) for a while and sounded Southern to friends and family by the time I came home. (Not Southern enough for Southerners, though, who still knew I wasn’t from there every time I opened my mouth.)
Nowadays, I find I can pick a bit of Southern accent back up in a long weekend — but it fades very quickly and it’s back to flat Northern California nothing accent. (We don’t Valley Girl speak up hear!)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 30, 2007 @ 6:39 am
Well, let’s be careful not to insult the Chinese! After all, what’s a bit of poison in comparison! There is something seriously wrong if China sells us poisonous products by the truckload and we STILL are waiting in line to buy their goods. Haven’t these companies learned anything? China is not our friend.
Comment by Carol — October 30, 2007 @ 7:38 am
I got the Meow book in the mail the other day.
Great book with facts I can trust that I was not aware of before, adorable illustrations, and written with an easy to understand style that does not insult my intelligence.
I like the book very much, and highly recommend same. Of course, I happened to love cats.
Comment by Colorado transplant — October 30, 2007 @ 8:17 am
Numerous pet food manufacturers are bailing out on Chinese ingrediants. So at least they get it even if the PFI doesn’t.
The PFI can continue to spew garbage out of their a—es - we know better. Check out the pet food aisles in any grocery store - that will tell you the real story.
Comment by 2CatMom — October 30, 2007 @ 8:29 am
Wonder if anyone has tried the 365 brand of cat food at Whole Foods.
Tried the Organix cat food and now my cat has severe loose stools—must be the flax in it.
Giving her dry food and water, and human tuna.
Switching around foods has its downside.
Comment by Colorado transplant — October 30, 2007 @ 8:44 am
I too am reading What To Eat by Marion Nestle. Very informative. The two loopholes that disturb her in regard to meat testing by USDA are that the meat goes out after it is tested, but before the test results are confirmed; the meat is already in our local markets or on the way. The other loophole is that recalls are voluntary! USDA doesn’t do recalls. It suggests them! It really looks very official when on top of their recall it says voluntary. It looks like the company voluntarily did the right thing. But really it is pretty meaningless when it doesn’t have “mandatory” as an alternative. Sort of looks like the meat industry can do pretty much what it pleases, when it pleases. The USDA is some sort of pretend to protect the consumer agency, when really they are in business to promote the meat industry. I might not have been so quick to believe this author had I not been following the recalls since March. Looks to me like it is business as usual. Both USDA and FDA act just alike! They just can’t fool all the people all the time…not even with the best advertising and pretenses in place. I think I will continue home cooking for my cats. and I won’t hold my breath that someone will try to take a pole about my trust level in regards to the PFI.
Comment by Concha Castaneda — October 30, 2007 @ 11:15 am
Someone suggested Ms Cook should step down. I wrote to The PFI and asked that she do.
Comment by Concha Castaneda — October 30, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
For an insightful (and funny) look at people who make their living spinning the facts, read “Thank You for Smoking” or catch the movie version. I have a lot of friends who work in PR, including one who used to represent cigarette companies.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 30, 2007 @ 1:06 pm
I think these globalists including apparently those at PFI think they can ship ingredients into various countries before bringing product here and thus obfuscate the new COOL labels and play games with Distributed by, Distributed in, Made for, Assembled in, and … And maybe they think everything is back to status quo and we’re just going to HAVE to buy their tainted imports? Well, we have a surprise for them! The products can sit on the shelf and gather DUST until the retailer returns it to the distributor as unsold or tosses it and doesn’t order more. THAT’S OUR SURPRISE! We’re buying local and from other places that are honest, reliable, human grade pet foods. And if we have to, we will make our own pet foods. No Chinese food or pet food or pet treats or pet toys or toys, until this mess is completely cleaned up, period! The consumer is willing to play hard ball… don’t put quality ingredients in it, don’t label or inspect it properly and we’ll let it sit on the shelves unsold. Don’t eliminate the taints and the stockholders aren’t going to like the earnings being down from poor sales. Consumers don’t have to spend.
I love the Hersheys bar example. IF it takes 10 feet of label to explain where everything came from that is in that bar, then we don’t need to be eating it. I bet Hersheys doesn’t agree with that example. And I am sure they don’t want to be dragged into the tainted pet food debacle.
Comment by Dennis — October 30, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
Re: some of the comments. I don’t get how all of China is the enemy when 1) It was a few companies not the population en masse or the government and 2) it was common knowledge in the US industry that melamine adulteration was occuring over the preceding months and years but nothing was done. If that makes it China’s fault the US has an awful lot of blame to take on for pushing milk replacers on third world babies and other such charming acts of corporate injury and murder. I prefer to balme the companies and regulatory agencies actually responsible.
Comment by emily — October 30, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
Emily, I agree with you, BUT … China is also spending lots of money and using lots of its new influence to decide American trade policy.
My point is that someone ought to be looking out for consumers. And nobody really is.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 30, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
Here’s another one:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/.....index.html
Comment by The OTHER Pat — October 30, 2007 @ 3:58 pm
Just as America is doing to China, not to mention that anti-competitive tariffs still used to outcompete humanely pasture-raised meat imported from other countries while getting outraged when they ever dare to violate ‘free trade’. One of the biggest groups not looking out for consumers is the American government and corporate sector. Getting one’s own house in order is necessary to give both the elevation and leverage necessary to demand it of others. Blaming the foreigners is a diversionary tactic given that the Chinese government is not exactly forcing US companies to import and sell products *known* to be adulterated, just because they are cheaper.
Comment by emily — October 31, 2007 @ 6:40 am