I enjoyed a fine standing rib roast with my family at Christmas, purchased from my local megacorporate grocery chain. Damn tasty stuff. Plenty of insectide-protected garlic. I chased it with a rather well rounded, slightly tannic Cabernet. What a fine meal.
A couple of days later, I found myself at the Wendy's drivethru, where I purchased a succulent Big Bacon Classic with a square-shaped patty distributed by Big Beef. Chased with a Diet Coke, because who needs that extra 150 calories.
Then I discover that I should have been at the Whole Foods Market, mingling with the Che Guevera t-shirt wearing unshaven and unclean, to buy my free-range non-steroidal organic cow. So, I thought I'd check out the The Washington Post to see what it says about this organic beef thing. Here are some prime cuts:
These differences cannot guarantee that a cow raised organically will not develop mad cow disease, however, because some of the ways the disease is transmitted are still unknown. And non-organic cuts of beef are considered safe, according to federal food-safety officials who note that the disease has never been found in muscle meat from an infected cow -- such as steaks and roasts.Never! The emphasis is mine. So, steaks and roasts are safe. But there's more:
Nevertheless, food scares can cause consumers to change their habits quickly, often without regard to actual science or true risk."without regard to actual science of true risk" huh? I guess that's why no one has fallen ill and there hasn't been an epidemic spread of crazy cow disease. But there's more. From a rather intelligent sounding organization:
"Food has always been considered special in terms of risk factor," said Elizabeth M. Whelan, executive director of the American Council on Science and Health, a New York-based nonprofit organization that tries to educate consumers on issues related to food, nutrition, the environment and health. "People are willing to choose alternatives even if there's no rational basis for it."No kidding. And with cattle futures falling, the gap between the cost of Big Beef beef and Organic hippie beef is growing. We probably need some government subsidies to offset that.
And remember, no one has been infected. The offending cow came from Canada (have they banned all Canadian beef now?). There seems to be no spread among the cattle population at large. It seems to me that existing government regulations have been sufficient to protect the American people from Mad Cow Disease. Certainly, they are at least "minimally necessary." Can't see how we need more regulation than necessary, even minimally.
Now, if the government would just find a way to get those Whole Foods people to wash-up, comb their hair and introduce their tie-dyes to some Tide, maybe more health risks can be eliminated.
