Bad Food Nation

Vanity Fair’s article by Fast Food Nation author, Eric Schlosser, made me start researching cattle and the meat packing industry. We’ve got more than terrorists killing us…

This from the American Association of Meat Processors:

However, Kerry believes that not enough is being done at present to protect the food supply. He argues that the Bush administration’s handling of mad cow disease, beef imports, and BSE testing have made it clear that the US needs a renewed effort to protect American consumers and farmers.

“As president, I will put public health first and will not take any action that might jeopardise our nation’s food supply, like having lax border inspections of imported food,” he told the Associated Press.

“We must do a better job of inspecting and identifying cattle that are exhibiting signs of a neurological disease or that can’t walk to ensure they do not enter the food supply.”

The Kerry administration says that it would increase testing and inspections and enhance surveillance to prevent the risk of BSE. Significantly, Kerry would also push for the establishment of a national animal ID tracking system, something that has been called for by certain sections of the US cattle industry.