E-coli in the Food Industry
It is time to stand up against the food industry and make a change for the better of our world, and our future generations. The United States is a country where food is being mass-produced. We want it easy-easy to make, easy to find, and easy to enjoy. We’re a lazy society in love with the idea of indulgence. That is why the average person has no idea what they’re eating. They pick up the cheapest item they can find and plenty of it; even more so because of the slowing economy.
Bulk beef, pork, and chicken are some of the most commonly purchased items in the United States today. Most people think because it’s on the shelves off local supermarket, that’s its safe to eat. One of the most talked about stories in 1996 was when Opera Winfred went on television, and enlightened America with the problem with eating meat. Mad cow disease was spreading rapidly in Europe and those cows were being ground up and fed to other cows. She made it her duty to inform everyone of how dangerous this could be for anyone eating a hamburger.
The meat industry on the other hand, did not like Opera’s brilliant idea to share her findings with the world and pulled out $600,000 worth of advertisements room the Opera show. In society today the United States is doing anything they can to save a buck on food production. It’s as simple as adding hormones to speed up the weight gain of cows, cattle, and pigs, grounding up one dead cow and feeding it to another, or mass producing corn; in return, creating high fructose corn syrup to add to sugary beverages or unhealthy snacks.
The food industry has no regard to our health, Just how much they’re making in profits. This has left our society questioning the numerous negative side effects going along with the mass production of food. “The SE of six natural and artificial growth hormones in beef production poses a potential risk to human health. These six hormones include three, which are naturally occurring steroidal, Progesterone and Testosterone and three which are synthetic-?groaner, Trombone, and Enlargements” (The Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health. These hormones have been shown to disrupt the human hormone balance in the body. On January 1st 1989, the European Economic Community banned all meat containing hormones from the United States. These hormones are used to rapidly template growth of cattle, because farmers’ profits are based off how big their cattle are. The two most common hormones found in U. S. Beef are, progesterone and testosterone, otherwise known as sex hormones. The milk produced by cows are also E-coli in the Food Industry potentially speed up puberty, making a child fertile at an earlier age.
For females this could mean producing eggs earlier, and running out earlier. So, if a woman were to wait to have a baby later in life, she may not be able to get pregnant. “A study of cows treated with enlargements acetate, one of the artificial growth hormones approved for SE in the U. S. , revealed that residues of this hormone were traceable in soil up to 195 days after being administered to the animals”(Epstein). The government has done little to protect our health in this matter.
A study in 2005 showed how powerful the meat industry has become, and their findings were remarkable, “As of 2005, four companies controlled the processing of over 80% of the country’s beef and three of these same four companies along with an additional fourth, process over 60% of the country’s pork. Additionally, the four major companies in broiler chicken processing provide over half of the country’s chicken apply. It is the same situation for turkey meat. In 1996, 79 percent of cattle slaughters an estimated 22. 6 million occurred at only 22 plants. “
The meat industry has gotten so powerful that to shut them down would be almost impossible. Besides the hormones in meat there is also dangers when it comes to meat production and packaging. The first issue when working with animals is after being slaughtered; they are cut up and shipped out, in almost all cases excrement from the animal ends up grounded up with the meat. The risk then becomes diseases, like e-coli, salmonella, and comparable. The American Federal Health Authorities estimated that food borne diseases sicken 76 million people, causes 325,000 hospitalizing, and kills 5,000 Americans every year.
After collecting ground beef samples from meat processing plants around the country in 1996, the USDA determined that almost all meat shipped out around the United States were contaminated with multiple bacteria (USDA). These levels of contamination are unacceptable and are caused by the horrible conditions where animals are raised combined with the rapid speed in which meat is processed. Twenty years ago slaughterhouses killed 175 cattle per hour, and today they can slaughter as many as 400 cattle per hour. In June of 2002, an outbreak of e-coli required Contra, a meat production industry in Colorado, to recall 354,000 pounds of beef.
Soon after, the recall was expanded to include 18. 6 million more pounds of beef (Roost). These recalls are highly dangerous, and can easily be avoided if the proper steps were taken when processing meat. Besides beef there is also a risk when consuming poultry products. Chicken farms are known for their torturous habits in the food industry. In 1995, a USDA baseline study on contamination of chickens found greater than 99 percent of broiler chicken carcasses had detectable e-coli”(Motivator). Raised in small, lightness chicken sheds many of them die from heart attacks, stress and diseases.
They’re fed antibiotics to help speed up growth. Their bodies grow so fast that their legs cannot support their enlarged bodies, breaking their little legs causing exhaustion and eventually die from starvation. Once dead, many farms leave the unwanted bodies to rot among the live chickens. Animal rights and protection, I came across a few videos showing men preparing hickey for slaughter. They grabbed numerous chickens at one time by grabbing their wings and throwing them in a cage. Another video showed a man beating diseased chickens with an iron stick and then left them to die. Ninety-nine percent of these animals spend their lives in total confinement-?from the moment they hatch until the day they are killed” (PETA). If the United States took a stand and fought for change great things could happen. More cage- free hens, grass grazing cattle, and less spread of disease could be potential outcomes. It’s not uncommon for someone to want a Juicy burger or a piece of chicken from our local restaurant. Meat in a diet is important unless you are taking supplements in your diet. It provides numerous vitamins and proteins, which the body needs.
Just remember the next time someone you love takes a bite out of that hamburger, chicken sandwich, or drinks a tall glass of milk what exactly they are ingesting. It’s time for the United States to make a change, to take a stand and protect the animals and the human body. There are numerous ways to get your protein or vitamins. The mass production of meat has gotten out of hand. We need to work together to help inform everyone about this process. Future generations will have to deal with the numerous hormones entering their bodies; making little girls more inclined to puberty at early ages, and boys worry about cancers.
The risk of numerous diseases entering our bodies and making us sick, which could potentially kill people of all ages. Dairy products are also a major problem for the children and adults in society today. When dairy hits the stomach the body breaks it down into a substance called casein, which is hard to be processed by the human stomach. When a mother gives birth she nurses the baby with her breast milk. The breast milk has some casein in it UT cows milk has 300 percent more than breast milk. Casein is a protein that makes cows have extremely large bones, which isn’t ideal for adults or even older children.
When a baby cow grows up it stops drinking its mother’s milk; when a baby grows up it also stops drinking its mother’s milk. No cow is drinking milk and no child or adult should be either. Casein is also the binder in wood glue. Society promotes dairy because they think it has good properties for the body, which in some cases it does; but the negative properties override the positives. In a Harvard review of research from 2001 showed “men with the highest dairy intake had approximately double the risk of total prostate cancer and up to a fourfold increase in the risk of fatal prostate cancer compared to low consumers”(Chain et al).
Dairy is packed with numerous hormones and drugs. After cows are stimulated with antibiotics they are kept around to produce abnormal amount of milk to supply businesses. This milk is then put through three processes to kill bacteria. The milk is heated to extremely high temperatures killing the natural enzymes that help break down the casein going into the stomach; in return making digestion even harder. Many people have chose to turn to soy products. They are being promoted on the television as well as in newspapers and by grocery stores. In reality these soy products are almost as bad as milk itself!
Soy is one of the most contaminated plants there is. When farmers spray their plants we end up digesting these pesticides. Lead to developmental abnormalities. As an animal lover, it breaks my heart to see what these voiceless creatures have to endure. Injected with hormones and fed antibiotics, broken legs, and wings. What happened to the farmers who let their cattle graze among the green grasses or the hickeys who roamed freely without being thrown around and even the pigs who laid out basking in the sun? Now it has become a war between the animals and humans.
Food is being taken for granted; the fruit and vegetables the earth produces are being forgotten. There is a simple solution, as a society we must work together to change this growing problem. It is important as a consumer, to know what exactly is going in your mouth. There are things a consumer should look at before purchasing meat products. Choose hormone-free beef at the supermarket. Foods that carry the USDA- certified organic label cannot contain any artificial hormones. When purchasing sustainable raised foods without the “organic” label, be sure to check with the farmer to ensure no additional hormones have been administered.
You are allowed to ask questions. Where is this meat from? Do you know the butcher? You can even go out of your way to find a butcher in your town. Another alternative is to lower your meat and poultry intake, fruits and vegetables should be much more prominent in a diet than meat should. There are also many ways to avoid dairy products. Hemp protein or vegetable protein is a better choice than whey protein. Instead of buying milk at the permeate there are alternatives including almond milk and coconut milk; both of which have high ratings as excellent calcium sources.
Soy is filled with harmful pesticides but it can be consumed in moderation. Dairy on the other hand is horrible for the body and shouldn’t be consumed (Hanson et al). It’s hard to believe food can be so detrimental to the health of humans but in reality not all foods were created for human consumption. It is time to make a stand for society, to better the human body and make a change. Remember, it’s not Just for your health, but your families and future generations.
Works Cited
- Epstein, Samuel S. “American Beef: Why is it Banned in Europe? ” prevent cancer.
