So much for the public’s right to know
By Gina Spadafori
March 26, 2008
If you ever wondered if the federal “regulators” are working for us or the industries they regulated, well, wonder no more. From the AP (thanks, Marcy):
Under pressure from the food industry, the Agriculture Department is considering a proposal not to identify retailers where tainted meat went for sale except in cases of serious health risk, The Associated Press has learned.
Had that been the rule in place last month, consumers would not have been told if their supermarkets sold meat from a Southern California slaughterhouse that triggered the biggest beef recall in U.S. history.
In other words, you have no right to know where a recalled product might have gone. Just like you have no right to know where a product has been imported from.
So much for being able to make an educated decision when it comes to your food — or your pet’s.
Yup - let’s hear it for “Let the market decide” - unless, of course, the market is likely to decide something that might hurt the Big Business Bottom Line.
Nothing to see here, folks - move along!
Comment by The OTHER Pat — March 26, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got nothing left here — after going through the self-rightous PA tomato-farmer/past president of PA Farm Bureau bleating on every media outlet that will have him about how he’s switching to corn (which he will making a killing on in this market) because the big, bad government won’t let him have a “guest-worker farm program” and he can’t be bothered with paying a living wage for Scranton and so we’ll all going to go without tomatoes (in the Northeast? Please!), nothing the either the big, bad government or agribusiness does surprises me anymore.
I’m bitter and I’m going to go check on my tomato seedlings downstairs. Buy Local Farmer’s Market, not Supermarket!
Comment by Dorene — March 26, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
That corn is likely going to be GE.
Up here in the Great White North, we are watching for the passage of legislation to identify GM foods in British Columbia.
http://www.greenpeace.org/cana.....onsumer-th
Comment by shibadiva — March 27, 2008 @ 4:55 am
“…except in cases of serious health risk”
Who gets to be the judge in determining health risks to people? How about to pets? IOW if I or my pet becomes ill after consuming a tainted product that *someone* determined the public need not be advised where it was sold, whom do I sue?
Comment by slt — March 27, 2008 @ 5:10 am
Evidently consumers right to know is at the bottom of the list along with product safety. Limiting the amount of information consumers should have has been linked to the increasing # of product recalls. Are we surprised?
I’m still baffled by the lack of response of the public to this. Everyone has to eat! Have we become that stupid? I’ll be kind and chalk it up to lethargy from being inundated with the vast # of serious problems this country faces such as the economy, the Iraq war, credit crisis and healthcare.
Comment by Carol — March 27, 2008 @ 7:44 am
I’m not surprised, given the fact that the FDA allows such misleading advertising by corporate pet-food manufacturers, who claim their products are “natural,” while none of the ingredients have fewer than five syllables. Mmmm, chemically goodness in every bite!
Comment by Mark Bullock — March 27, 2008 @ 10:28 am
We have choices, people, and here’s a way to participate in an international movement that’s taking hold at a great rate. I was really excited when today I came across “Slow Food USA.” Thought it was worth sharing here with you all.
“Slow Food USA envisions a future food system that is based on the principles of high quality and taste, environmental sustainability, and social justice – in essence, a food system that is good, clean and fair.”
WOW!
Read lots more here: http://www.SlowFoodUSA.org.
Be sure to click on some of the links, particularly “Our Programs.” I’m really impressed!
Comment by Nadine L. — March 27, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
I’m a Slow Food member, too!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 27, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
What I found so sad about this article, is that many pet owners say that they have switched to home cooking human food for their pets, to assure safety.
Now we find out that we humans cannot even trust our own food any more, and that our government doesn’t care whether we get sick from it or not. What’s important to them it seems, is that the stores don’t lose business because of a recall.
You know, it seems that human (and pet) life doesn’t amount to a hill of beans any more to our government. This nation has degraded itself into being all about business and commerce.
What our government doesn’t seem to think about is that this universe has always operated on the principle of “what goes around, comes around,” or in other words, “you will reap what you sow.”
You cannot put money in a place of importance, over human (or animal) life.
That’s the way that our universe has always functioned, and will always continue to function.
Comment by Marcy — March 27, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
I wrote to the FDA and USDA about the recall and what was going to happen to the recalled meat from the slaughterhouses in California. I can’t remember exactly how I worded my question. But it was something to the effect of you are not going to make this recalled beef into pet food are you? They assured me the meat would be destroyed. For some reason I don’t believe them.
Comment by Concha castaneda — March 28, 2008 @ 5:47 am