Monday, November 2, 2009

Musings about a Ground Meat Recall

As many may have read, there is currently a recall of ground meat sold in Massachusetts and other northeast states (see story http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_059_2009_Release/index.asp). This recall highlights meat sold at many different types of retailers: BJ's, Trader Joe's, Wild Harvest and Shaw's. In other words: big wholesaler, boutique grocer, "healthy" grocer, and bog-standard supermarket. What does this tell us about meat sold in America? Who can you trust?

E. Coli in meat (and other industrial raised foods) may be a symptom of a broken food system, but how well does the general public understand how to cure this problem? One could easily say to themself that this is an unavoidable risk of our modern industry. It is a cost of convinience, so no use fretting over this risk. Others could conclude that modern meat just can't be trusted and therfore vegetarianism is the only logical option. I thought about this as I stopped at Balance Rock Farm on my way home from work today. I know where my meat comes from. I know my family eats safe food because I have been to the farm where the meat was raised. Would USDA recalls be needed if everyone knew where their meat came from? Just a thought.

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