ns and the move to a stricter system there should not be a continuation of this problem in our country.
Member question: Should I let my child eat school lunch beef and occasionally McDonald's hamburgers? Should I pursue asking for organic beef in public school lunch?
Haas: The school lunch program is like a consumer. The same risks are there. There are not additional inspections being done in the school lunch program. We do not have a situation where the consumer should be that alarmed that they should stop their children from having any beef, any hamburgers.
However, consumers should be alert, and if organics are available in your marketplace it is a smart option to take advantage of. The school lunch program does not have much organic food in it at all, whether it is fruits or vegetables or beef. If you, the consumer, feel this is important for the future health of your family it is wise to get involved in the school lunch program in your community and to encourage more availability of organic produce and beef, not just because of a fear of BSE, but for the healthfulness and the taste of the product.
Member question: Is kosher beef safer than regular beef? I know they are careful about how the animal is slaughtered and only use certain parts of the animal.
Haas: Yes, kosher beef is a good choice. There are more strict prohibitions involved. Kosher processors have never used downer cows. Kosher beef might be safer because the animals are killed by having their throats slit rather than by being shot or struck in the head, which can scatter brain tissue. I think it is fair to say their standards of production are very rigorous.
Member question: Is there a supply chain of meat that doesn't go through the same mass production that creates this mad cow danger? Do "organic" beef producers exist who slaughter their own cows, that we can purchase beef from?
Haas: Definitely there is a growing industry of organic producers of beef, and that beef is safest. It's cattle that have been raised organically, and by law cannot be fed animal byproducts, which are believed to be the cause of mad cow disease. Organic beef is available, but it's a very small percentage of the beef that's available in today's supermarkets.
We at FoodFit have provided guides on how to buy organic, and you can check at FoodFit.com for those kinds of tips or ask your supermarket in the meat counter if they have any organic meat available.
Member question: Since the disease progresses slowly, cows could have the disease but show no symptomstherefore go into the food supply. Wouldn't this be a possibility because they are not downer cows?
Haas: Downer cows are only one example of the problem. To detect the prevalence of BSE easiest is to do adequate testing of the animals. That's why it's so necessary for the USDA to embark on an aggressive program of testing. Also, the whole processing chain needs more frequent testing, as well.
At one time we had a continuous testing of our system. We have gone in the last 20 years to more industry controls and a reduction of continuous inspection. I think this problem today reveals a need for reviewing our food safety protection.
Member question: Does cooking beef fully not kill the germs that are carried with the mad cow disease?
Haas: Unfortunately, cooking the beef completely does not help in this case as it does in other food borne illnesses. The contamination is there and cannot be cooked away. That's why one case has created so much action and concern.
Member question: Aside from nationalism, why is it so important that the infected cow in Washington came from Canada?
Haas: There are two issueseconomics and healththat are very intertwined in this whole mad cow episode of 2003. The health issues involve finding the root of all this; where is it coming from, where the originator cattle was; so we can track it and prevent disease in humans.
The other issue is the economic trade issue, and knowing which country is most responsible. This is an enormous issue because the economic losses to cattlemen have been in the hundreds