Thursday, November 11, 2010

Contaminated Meat

  



  While reading chapter 9 in Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, I learned a lot about practices of the meat industries that I never knew before.

“At SIS-C slaughterhouses, visibly diseased animals-cattle infected with measles and tapeworms, covered with abscesses-were being slaughtered.  Poorly trained company inspectors were allowing the shipment of beef contaminated with fecal material. Hair, Insects, metal shavings, urine, and vomit.” (Schlosser, pg 207)

            After hearing this I became disgusted with how many years I have been eating beef and not knowing exactly what it was that I was actually eating.  Knowing that the meat that I consumed was coming from cows that were diseased with worms and abscesses really makes me never want to eat meat again.  Chop meat is used in so many meals that it is impossible to have gone your whole life without eating it.  They use it for hamburgers, tacos, meatloaf, meat balls and even in some baby foods, just to name a few.  When parents make meals for their family they are making it with the best of intentions thinking that they are providing meals that will make their family strong and healthy, whereas in reality they are feeding them gross contaminated meat.

6 comments:

  1. Dear Mary,
    I think the quote that you chose for your topic really shows how potentially hazardous the beef packing industry really is. This disgusted me to think of what is actually being consumed and it really needs to end. You should do more research on what is going into the meat with evidence providing your claim. I really like this topic.

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  2. Hey Mary,
    This is a good blog! Its interesting because nobody really knows whats in the meats that we eat and its scary to think that we all believe were eating good meat even if were eating with vegetables or salad, the meat part could really be the food that contains the most awful background.

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  3. I was reading the quote while eating a pop tart and it made my stomach turn a little. It's beyond disgusting that our nations beef had hair, worms, crap...etc. I was appalled because these companies knew about the filthiness of their beef but being the inconsiderate, money hungry jerks that the executives are, they could care less about some dirty beef. This raises the question of..could we too be contaminated next? Giving up meat may be completely impossible for some individuals but maybe we should reconsider consuming beef when you have a plate of some good ol' beef patty right infront of you...

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  4. I must say after this chapter and actually this on going semester , i learned so much about the actual truth behind our food ..ough its horrific.

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  5. I know as Consumers we really put ourselves in the hands of these food companies and are hoping that they are doing the right thing by us, which is providing us with the best possible meat they have to offer but this really isnt the case at all. John at least you were eating a pop tart and not an hamburger! lol

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  6. Hey Mary!!!!
    I agree with you my mom always cooks for my family to help us have energy and strengh but it seems like those intentions go to waste when mothers around the world unconsciously feed their families contaminated food.... not fair!!

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