The Vegetarian Imperative by Anand M. Saxena

Author:Anand M. Saxena
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2011-04-17T04:00:00+00:00

Harmful Organisms in Meat

There are additional risks associated with the consumption of meat because, being very rich in nutrients, meat provides a ready medium for the growth of pathogenic organisms. Some of these microorganisms may be picked up from the environment, while others may already be present in the carcasses of animals. Foodborne diseases cause 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Although the pathogen that causes sickness cannot always be identified, 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths have been attributed to the bacterial species that are found in the intestines of livestock, namely, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria, and Salmonella. It is likely that many other illnesses for which the source cannot be traced also have their origin in the livestock industry. Salmonella alone is responsible for 1.4 million cases of food poisoning a year and 400 associated deaths.30 Campylobacter can lead to meningitis, arthritis, and neurological disorders; about 3.4 million people are sickened and 700 people die each year from this strain of bacteria. These pathogens infect the human population either by contaminating meat and dairy products or by transmission through the waste of farm animals. Paul S. Mead of the CDC has estimated the overall cost of these infections to the U.S. economy to be about $7 billion.31

The vulnerability of meat and other animal products to invasion by pathogens results in numerous recalls of these items from the market. While some products are recalled due to evidence of irregularities before the pathogens cause sicknesses in humans, many recalls occur as a result of disease. More than 50 products were taken off the market during both 2007 and 2008.32 The most common cause for the recall of beef products was contamination with E. coli O157:H7, while contamination with the pathogens Listeria and Salmonella led to the recall of chicken products, sausages, and cheese. Despite monitoring by health authorities, the number of recalls and the amount of products that have been taken off the market have not shown any decline and may even be increasing. In 2007, there were 21 nationwide recalls of beef that removed 33.4 million pounds from the market because of possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.33

A recall of unusually large magnitude occurred in February 2008, when 143 million pounds of beef that originated in a slaughterhouse in Southern California were taken off the market. The reason for the recall was that workers allowed a number of cows that could not stand—the so-called downers—to be slaughtered without contacting the veterinarian to investigate any evidence of mad cow disease. The enormous danger associated with this disease led to this massive recall. A few recalls each year occur when cow body parts not allowed in human food for fear of spreading mad cow disease, such as meat from the heads of cows, are mixed into supplies that are sent to market. Meats of foreign origin have also been subjected to a number of recalls. For example, the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service recalled beef from three different suppliers in Nicaragua in August 2008.

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