Comments on: Beef recall during holiday weekend http://newmexicoindependent.com/806/beef-recall-during-holiday-weekend New Mexico news and commentary Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:43:49 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: bleve http://newmexicoindependent.com/806/beef-recall-during-holiday-weekend/comment-page-1#comment-680 bleve Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://70.32.121.217/?p=806#comment-680 Thanks for the input Gwyneth. I would most likely concur with the statement that the vast majority of the public like fatty beef that comes from grain-fed cows, however, I'm confident that the market didn't switch to this form of production because of the public's taste nuances. The market changed for mass production, efficiency and the bottom line and the public's perception of what was expected when eating meat changed along with it. Same could be said for MSG as well as high fructose corn syrup. I don't think American's prefer their bread with high fructose corn syrup, it just happens to be what's substituted for traditional sugar and brown sugar in 90% of the breads on the market. It's also important to note that force feeding an animal something that it was not made to digest can be perceived as cruel. A cow would die from the grain feeding if antibiotics were not added to its feed and the animal is slaughtered when it is at its largest and sickest... right before it would die naturally. Since we all pay money to subsidize the feeding process, I think its important for people to know that they are eating very sick animals at nearly every meal containing beef. I say that not as a proselytizing vegan or vegetarian, but as someone who loves beef and finds the common manufacturing process of it quite disturbing. Thanks for the input Gwyneth. I would most likely concur with the statement that the vast majority of the public like fatty beef that comes from grain-fed cows, however, I’m confident that the market didn’t switch to this form of production because of the public’s taste nuances. The market changed for mass production, efficiency and the bottom line and the public’s perception of what was expected when eating meat changed along with it. Same could be said for MSG as well as high fructose corn syrup. I don’t think American’s prefer their bread with high fructose corn syrup, it just happens to be what’s substituted for traditional sugar and brown sugar in 90% of the breads on the market.

It’s also important to note that force feeding an animal something that it was not made to digest can be perceived as cruel. A cow would die from the grain feeding if antibiotics were not added to its feed and the animal is slaughtered when it is at its largest and sickest… right before it would die naturally. Since we all pay money to subsidize the feeding process, I think its important for people to know that they are eating very sick animals at nearly every meal containing beef. I say that not as a proselytizing vegan or vegetarian, but as someone who loves beef and finds the common manufacturing process of it quite disturbing.

]]> By: gwynethd http://newmexicoindependent.com/806/beef-recall-during-holiday-weekend/comment-page-1#comment-681 gwynethd Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://70.32.121.217/?p=806#comment-681 Interesting point about grain-fed cattle and e. coli in the intestine, Benito. I hadn't heard any of that before. Do you know why Americans eat so much grain-fnished cattle? Because we like it better. If you looked at a piece of grain-finished beef (almost all cattle are fed grass and finished on grain) next to a piece of grass-fed beef you could see that the grain-finished meat is much fattier. And despite what our doctors tell us about eating leaner meats, fat equals flavor, and we can't get enough of that fatty beef. <p> <p> Also, I eat steaks medium rare, but I ALWAYS order my burgers medium, precisely because of the risk of e. coli. Why is it always ground beef that's getting tainted with e. coli? Because contamination on the surface of a steak or roast will be killed by direct heat on the grill, in the pan or in the oven. But contamination on the surface of a piece of meat that is GROUND before being cooked spreads that danger throughout the meat. Cooking may kill e. coli on the surface of a burger, but not inside. Interesting point about grain-fed cattle and e. coli in the intestine, Benito. I hadn’t heard any of that before. Do you know why Americans eat so much grain-fnished cattle? Because we like it better. If you looked at a piece of grain-finished beef (almost all cattle are fed grass and finished on grain) next to a piece of grass-fed beef you could see that the grain-finished meat is much fattier. And despite what our doctors tell us about eating leaner meats, fat equals flavor, and we can’t get enough of that fatty beef.

Also, I eat steaks medium rare, but I ALWAYS order my burgers medium, precisely because of the risk of e. coli. Why is it always ground beef that’s getting tainted with e. coli? Because contamination on the surface of a steak or roast will be killed by direct heat on the grill, in the pan or in the oven. But contamination on the surface of a piece of meat that is GROUND before being cooked spreads that danger throughout the meat. Cooking may kill e. coli on the surface of a burger, but not inside.

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