Massive Beef Recall Further Validates the Need for Small Farms and Local AgricultureDylan Charles, Contributor E. Coli is a pathogenic strain of animal fecal bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning and even death to humans. So far, at least 10 confirmed cases of E. Coli poisoning in Alberta have put consumers on edge, but it does not appear that consumer demand has been affected. Originally, the outbreak affected over 30 US states and included some 890,000 pounds of meat bound for retail chains including Wal-Mart and Safeway. However, since then the recall has been expanded four times to a whopping 150 million pounds of beef products already on store shelves from coast to coast in Canada and the US: If a only a few slaughterhouses can cause an outbreak of deadly bacteria that spans coast to coast, potentially sickening people all over North America, while causing the destruction of so much food and the waste of the resources spent to produce and ship it, then is this type of food system serving our best interests? When framed this way, it appears the government believes this to be more about how many tax dollars can be spent to oversee a tenured meatpacking industry: Of course there were already government inspectors working at the plant responsible for the outbreak, proving that government oversight is a false sense of security: Given that the FDA and the USDA continue to make it difficult for local farms and homesteaders to produce and share their own homegrown meats and products locally, it should be clear that the government and meat industry have neither the intention, nor the capacity to address the fundamental flaws in a corporate/government owned and operated food system. Furthermore, there is no discussion of an alternative to this system. Local food co-ops, small lot organic farms, and a variety of local farm producers is the antithesis of the factory farm, yet these activities are becoming increasingly outlawed as the North American police state comes of age. Why are these timeless activities being outlawed while the infrastructure and political roots of a ginormousfactory food system are becoming further entrenched? Coming at a time when high fuel prices and drought are causing rising food prices, a meat recall this widespread is also more evidence that our food system is unstable and ripe for widespread disruption. Therefore, having a family or personal food security plan in place, with storable meals on hand, is a smart thing to do now, before a larger crisis occurs. And, while a vegetarian diet may not be suitable for everyone, the myth about vegetarians not getting enough protein has already been busted, so at least experimenting with a vegetarian diet, or reducing some dependence on meat, is another smart and enlightening thing to do to cushion against a food system so vulnerable to contamination, waste and corruption. Current Recall Lists: 