Food Should Not Be Recalled

It's a pretty simple assertion. Food should not be recalled. We only find ourselves in a society where such events are commonplace because of the industrialized system we have for growing and processing food. We have developed a dependence on this system that blinds us to how critical food recalls are.

Small-scale farmers don't have issues with such diseases nor do you hear of people getting sick or dying from products grown or produced on a small scale. Watch this video to see a contrast between the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) and a small scale, on-pasture operation. Listen to this farmer, Russ Kremer, who made the transition from a CAFO to a pasture operation



In the latest news more ground beef has been recalled. See the press release from the Federal Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for a full report.

California Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination

Ground beef is made from the inferior cuts of beef and the trimming from other quality cuts of beef. All these “parts” are placed together in a grinder and blended together - much like you'd expect. However, because of the way feed lots process cows and the way ground beef is made, the risk of ground beef containing salmonella or E. coli is exponentially increased because the "meat" from which the ground beef is made comes from dozens, even hundreds of cows. One cow might not be infected, but certainly one out of a hundred is. And if one is, then they all are.

In this most recent recall, the ground beef was shipped in 60 pound packages to grocers who then repackage the meat into smaller packages for retail sell. Just one more person touching the ground beef before you cook with it.

From the article:

Because these products were repackaged into consumer-size packages and sold under different retail brand names, consumers should check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall.

From the article:

Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Salmonella infections can be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, such as infants, the elderly, and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. The most common manifestations of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within eight to 72 hours. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea and vomiting that can last up to seven days.

From the article:

This particular strain of Salmonella Newport is resistant to many commonly prescribed drugs, which can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals.

My recommendation on how to avoid consuming such contaminated meat is to purchase your beef directly from a local farmer – someone you’ve actually talked to. Who would have thought you can actually visit the farm where the cow you’re eating was raised and talk to the farmer who raised it and cared for it? A novel idea I know. There are numerous farmers in NC, in the piedmont, in Davidson Co. that sell beef directly from the farm to consumers. But this isn't just here; this is the case all across the United States. You just have to look for them and it requires very little effort initially.

When you purchase a cow from a farmer, you get one cow and only one cow. Ground beef is made from that one cow. None of his friends come along with him! Nearly every beef producer I've come across will sell you any combination of a whole cow, a half or quarter of a cow or individual pieces a la carte. Of course the larger portion you buy the less per pound you pay. The last two times we have purchased a cow we've combined with other families to increase our buying power to get it for less per pound. Then we just divided it evenly.

Here is a link to a North Carolina website resource that allows you to search for any number of products produced in your County or region. I'm sure just about every state has such a resource. If you can't find one your local Extension agent can help. If you can’t find one, let me know and I can help locate one for you. This particular link is to all beef producers in the NC "Piedmont" who have produce available for retail sell from the farm directly to you.

NC Farm Fresh - Beef Farmers in the Piedmont (returns 33 hits)

This is a simple step toward eating local with the added benefit of food safety. But I'd contend that eating local and food safety go hand in hand and that given the option between meeting the person who raised and processed my beef face to face, versus letting a CAFO raise the cow and then process it with hundreds of other cows and then let 3-5 middlemen handle the meat before I unpackage it to cook with it - I'm going local 200% of the time.

~ Mark Watkins