Where's the beef....from?

Oh, dear. 

Yes, I've seen Food Inc, and King Corn, and Fresh....

And still, there's something inherently horrifying when I see the way modern meat is "grown."

I'm not going to climb onto my soapbox...for now. Summarized here in a few quotes are the BEST reason why we should be eating locally grown, pasture fed beef (from farmers we know by name):

"Sick dairy cows are given medications to help them recover, but if it appears an animal will die, it's often sold to a slaughterhouse as quickly as possible, in time to kill it before it dies.”

"In 2008, Mexico refused a shipment of U.S. beef. The meat exceeded Mexico's regulatory upper limit for copper. The meat was returned to the United States -- where it was sold and eaten." 

"Based on our [FDA] review, we found that the national residue program is not accomplishing its mission of monitoring the food supply for harmful residues. Together, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), FDA, and EPA have not established thresholds for many dangerous substances (e.g., copper or dioxin3), which has resulted in meat with these substances being distributed in commerce."

 (The reason these photos are so small and grainy is because they are take from the air, which is about as close as you can get to being let into an industrial beef lot these days.)

Additionally, FSIS does not attempt to recall meat, even when its tests have confirmed the excessive presence of veterinary drugs.”

“We also found that FSIS does not recall meat adulterated with harmful residue, even when it is aware that the meat has failed its laboratory tests. Between July 12, 2007, and March 11, 2008, FSIS found that four carcasses were adulterated with violative levels of veterinary drugs8 and that the plants involved had released the meat into the food supply. Although the drugs involved could result in stomach, nerve, or skin problems for consumers, FSIS requested no recall."

Well, there is good news left in the world, and happy cows too! 

Numerous communities across the U.S. are riding the wave of local food movements promoting sustainability, local agriculture, natural food and farm co-ops and CSA's. Here is an excellent link of dozens of sites where you can get more information.

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture
http://www.mercola.com/article/agriculture.htm

Sources:

Why US Meats Are Horrendous: The Vulgar Truth About What You Eat with that Steak or Burger: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/american-meat-is-even-more-disgusting-than-you-thought.aspx

The Burger that Shattered Her Life: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss


Michael Pollan: Discover How Your Beef is Really Raised: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/04/17/cattle1.aspx

AlterNet May 1, 2010

FSIS National Residue Program for Cattle (PDF)