USDA Seeks to Expand Pilot Program Which Leaves Meat Contaminated With Fecal Matter

[aggiesal]

Source: Truthout

[font color=Red]By Candice Bernd, Truthout | Report [/font]

Half of the USDA inspectors in industrial meat plants will be replaced with inspectors employed by the very same companies whose meats they are inspecting if plans by the US Department of Agriculture are allowed to go forward.



Is there poop in your pork and poultry? It’s a serious question.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has plans to expand a privatized meat inspection model that has been in place for 14 years at five hog plants in the United States and which has been found to fail time and time again at preventing contamination of meat - with fecal matter.

The program, known as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point-Based Inspection Models Project - or HIMP - has been in place since the late 1990s and its expansion would replace almost half the USDA Food Safety Service inspectors in industrial meat plants with inspectors employed by those very same companies. It would reportedly speed up production lines by as much as 20 percent.

Read more: http://truth-out.org/news/item/18866-usda-seeks-to-expand-pilot-program-which-leaves-meat-contaminated-with-fecal-matter

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Tax cuts at work!

Fascism on the rise.

[Octafish]

1. Can't let a few million deaths get in the way of profits.

What do you think this is, a democracy?

[aggiesal]

7. Silly me. How could I possibly believe we live in a democracy?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. How do we stop this horrifying development?

I am sickened.

[awoke_in_2003]

20. The only thing that will stop the madness...

that our corporate controllers keep throwing our way is revolution. I hate to say that, but our government is nothing but lackeys for the wealthy. Sure, you have a good politician here and there, 98% are crooks that are only looking to enrich themselves.

[emsimon33]

24. The French Revolution option looks better and better

[avaistheone1]

3. Disgusting.

This is pure madness.

[Berlin Expat]

4. I mean, hey.....

it's just a little poop, right? No big deal; now everyone can truly say they're sporting a shit-eating grin.

[RebelOne]

5. Glad I am a vetatarian.

At least I don't have to worry about shit in my food.

[antigone382]

8. Not true...

Sewage sludge and raw manure can and has been used as fertilizer; not to mention fields are vulnerable to fecal contamination from both wild as well as escaped domestic animals, as well as from farm workers who may not have adequate access to restroom/handwashing stations, or who may not be adequately educated to use those facilities properly. Fecal contamination of crops and the spread of foodborne disease from those crops is a very real threat.

This isn't to knock vegetarianism...it's just to avoid anyone having the false idea that they don't have to think about this aspect of food safety with crops. You definitely do.

[HockeyMom]

12. True

I got food poisoning from tainted tomatoes 5 years ago.

[Ash_F]

17. E coli(from manure) is somewhat common in produce

To add to the other poster's comment, even organic food can have this if not grown and harvested properly.

Don't s**t where you eat.

http://www.ota.com/organic/foodsafety/ecoli.html

[olddad56]

6. so if your breakfast tastes like shit, check the bacon first.

[Divernan]

13. Under a Democratic administration! You can't make this shit up!

[aggiesal]

16. Pun intended! n/t

[Vanje]

9. US Department of Agriculture

USDA to American people : "Eat shit."

Thats Obama's Dept of Agriculture.

[paleotn]

10. Now hear me out. I have a great idea!....

After all these years of hard work and countless $'s spent protecting the chickens from the fox, why don't we just put the fox in CHARGE of the hen house. I'm sure, if given that responsibility, the fox will step up and do right thing and think of all the money we'll save! What could possibly go wrong?

Are certain "suits" at the USDA so stupid that they don't think the drive for profit and maximizing shareholder value will trump consumer safety every single time? Looks that way.

[christx30]

23. To drive your point home...

Why don't we name it the Poultry Analysis and Critical Control Point-Based Inspection Models Project - or PIMP. The acronym would make things more accurate.

[Nihil]

25. What makes you think that the USDA suits are "stupid"? They are doing exactly what they intend ...

... increasing their personal profit by decreasing everyone else's health.

Immoral? Yes.
Obscenely greed-driven? Yes.
Stupid? By their warped sense of values they are being incredibly smart.

Besides, on their income they know better than to eat that shit.

These are the people who actively prevented the US public from knowing
how bad and how widespread the BSE crisis in America was (and is).

[Divernan]

11. Hey! E. coli will help overweight Americans shape up! Another great Obama accomplishment!

Those chickens were NEVER candidates! And Obama has no control over the Department of Agriculture so stop saying that. And it's a chess move by Obama to . . . . .well . . . .something or other. And stop with the poutrage and eat your contaminated food.
Just trying to anticipate the "I Can Typing" gang.

"They’re going to increase the line speed, in those plants, to 175 birds-a-minute for chicken plants. There’s only going to be one USDA inspector left on that line, so you tell me how a USDA inspector is supposed to look at three birds every second to determine whether there’s visible fecal contamination on that bird," Corbo said.

"What they’re essentially doing here is replacing inspection with chemical treatments that they think are going to deal with contamination, with E. coli or salmonella. So the companies are going to be using more chemicals to try to sanitize the meat that we eat instead of having real inspection."

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. KFC with a side of bleach.

[azurnoir]

15. and bid a fond farewell to a nice medium rare steak

fecal matter just gross

[Lancero]

18. And...

The Vegans rejoiced, for they knew this would result in meat eaters deciding to switch to a vegan diet, a diet that is less in shit and chemicals.

[Divernan]

21. Sewage sludge and raw manure can and has been used as fertilizer on crops

All of us, including vegans, need independent government agency inspectors from USDA, not Agribusiness hacks, to carefully inspect our food. See post 8 above.

[blkmusclmachine]

19. Sh!t.

Literally.

[DeSwiss]

22. Stop eating their shit.

K&R

[WCLinolVir]

26. Stop eating commercial meat. Bottom line.

Break them financially.
Excuse me while I go tend my garden, and can food whose provenance I trust.
Call, write, whatever it takes. This is just homicidal.

[CanSocDem]

27. They're messing with you,...

...trying to prove that 'food inspections' aren't necessary. After all, you've had all these years of under-regulated industrial food service and there are still a remarkable number of you still alive.

Not in the best of health for sure, but still able to afford some glob of carbohydrates that will suppress anxiety-inducing hunger and keep you working for your next meal. The food service industry doesn't need you to be distracted by "inspectors" pointing out the danger in the entire enterprise.

Edited to add this link:

http://www.alternet.org/media/americans-are-110-times-more-likely-die-contaminated-food-terrorism?akid=10947.1117531.NcL3QS&rd=1&src=newsletter897922&t=6



Run for your Lives!!


.

[Le Taz Hot]

28. Just gives me one more reason

to buy from my local farmers/ranchers. I already buy chicken, beef and goat meat from local producers. Yes, it's more expensive but then again, we don't eat a lot of meat and I have the satisfaction of knowing the animals have been fed a healthy, organic diet and have been treated humanely.

[tblue]

29. If I wasn't already a vegetarian

I'd become ind now. This ua fascism.