Anyone see this book by Eric Schlosser? It is scary reading about how devious and dangerous the fast food industry is. How it underpays poor workers, and doesn't give them skills. The scariest part is about how contaminated ground beef and chicken in America is. Or how fast food workers don't use clean handling of your food.

"The safety of the food seemed to be determined more by the personality of the manager on duty than by the written policies of the chain. Many workers would not eat anything at their restaurant unless they'd made it themselves. A Taco Bell employee said that food dropped on the floor was often picked up and served. An Arby's employee told me that one kitchen worker never washed his hands at work after doing engine repairs on his car. And several employees at the same McDonald's restaurant in Colorado Springs independently provided details about a cockroach infestation in the milk-shake machine and about armies of mice that urinated and defecated on hamburger rolls left out to thaw in the kitchen every night. "



I like meat, but the fear of getting sick or worse is good. PETA makes more sense every day..lol.

"Very few people realize that the U.S. government does not have the power to order the recall of contaminated meat. The Clinton administration made a sincere effort to reform the nation's food-safety and inspection program, but the Republicans in Congress were determined to impede any major overhaul of the system. So what we wound up with is a watered-down food-safety system. One of the most remarkable things is that meatpacking companies today are routinely testing their meat for dangerous pathogens, but don't have to reveal the results of these tests to the government. A recent investigation by the Inspector General of the USDA suggested that companies are shipping meat that they've tested and that they know to be contaminated. By not revealing the test results to the USDA, they're able to ship this meat. It's incredible what is being sold in supermarkets throughout the country as we speak."

Just say no to burgers.

I have to say, I bought this a while back after hearing many recommendations. However, although it's a good read, i didn't feel put off meat particularly and I was almost disappointed that the revelations weren't more extreme. The most appalling bit I thought was the clearly barbaric treatment of some employees at the plants where some of this stuff is created, and the disgraceful, steel-hearted nature of their employers.

The bottom line is, I like McDs once in a while and the fact that a miniscule amount of faeces has been found in samples in the States at some point in the past isn't going to stop me; I'm outrageously unlikely to be directly harmed by eating a hamburger. If I was to be concerned enough about the risks involved in eating fast food (I'm not referring to obesity here) to stop eating it, I'd feel rather obliged to be concerned enough about the risks of walking down the street or getting into my car, to stop that too. I don't think this book is particularly an argument for vegetarianism, because anyone that reads it knows how animals are reared and slaughtered. But I do think it highlights some awful corporate governance issues.

I'd still recommend it though. The history of the hamburger was my favourite bit.

Hope you avoid food poisoning FRogger.

2freaky4church1 said:

Me too.

Can't get enough o' dem burgers with dem dere turds in them.

Turds

TheFrog said:

i've been reading about the food industry too and am totally, totally grossed out at what i've found. you should be aware that mouse turds are more harmful than just the 'gross' factor.

mice carry parasites and mouse stool, if contaminating meat, can also infect humans. also you should be aware that fast food workers are the lowest paid people in the working world, and therefore these jobs are often held by immigrants. in third world nations parasitic infections in the general population can be as high as 1 out of 3 people. couple this with the poor hygiene practiced by some fast food workers and.. . well .. ..

my friend's ex husband is a health inspector for the state of minnesota. he refuses to eat at restaurants. after finding out what i know now, i am too.

XxAxX said:

That's cool. But i'm just looking at the potential risks, vs. the enjoyment I get from the food (and just as importantly anger at self-denial if I didn't eat any fast food). It may well be that i'm taking a risk when I eat fast food from a contamination perspective. But i'm a pretty fit guy. I feel that, from experience, it's a pretty tiny risk and i'd rather gamble. Same as I do when i get on the train or get into a car. Of course i've suffered food poisoning before, but I eat out quite a lot and the ratio of No Probs: Probs is seriously, seriously in No Prob's favour.

But each person values risk differently - everyone answers the question, "Would you eat a hamburger if there was a 0.00001% chance of infection causing illness? How about 0.001%? How about 1%?" Ya know, everyone turns up their nose at a different point and says, "ain't doing it", and that's cool.

I hear you about fast food workers. Like i said, I think one of the most impressive things about this book was the way it highlighted the trauma that these people go through (although i'm thinking more of the workers at the food-production end).

Food safety aside, what horrified me most was the treatment of workers and corruption in the American meat industry, squelching every attempt to unionize, the fact that if tainted meat is found in distribution, legally the government cannot even order a recall, etc. I'm not yet a perfect vegetarian, but I make a conscious effort to find my sources of protein elsewhere as I just can't feel good supporting these companies.