Beef: Health - How the Beef Industry is Putting Human Health at Risk
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 76 million individuals in the U.S. are infected each year with foodborne pathogens, which results in 5,000 deaths annually.1 Many have noticed that in recent years, zoonoses like E.coli and salmonella are showing up not just in bad batches of burgers or wings, but also in our spinach, lettuce, peanuts, and pistachio nuts, just to name a few.2 In fact, the CDC has found that there has been a steady rise since 2004.3 While the CDC asserts that this rise is in part related to the increased amount of leafy greens the public is consuming in comparison to previous decades, the agency also recognizes that illnesses are still proportionally higher than can be explained by increased consumption. Moreover, the CDC is pointing to increased contamination starting from farm production and in the processing plants as compared to food preparation.4
The 1.6 billion tons of animal waste produced each year by CAFOs,5 which has contaminated our waterways and soil, is the primary contributor to this escalation. A study of the irrigation canals in part of Arizona found of the water samples taken, 21 percent contained salmonella, 20 percent had cryptosporidium (a zoonotic parasite), 55 percent had campylobacter (a zoonotic bacteria), among other zoonoses discovered.6
Furthermore, contaminated manure used as fertilizer can contaminate crops.7 Liquid applied manure is applied as is, meaning that if it is contaminated, the crops being fertilized are at risk. Dry applied manure goes through a baking process, meaning that the temperature used is high enough so as to usually kill pathogens. Besides the method of application, studies are being conducted to evaluate whether the various methods used in tilling, which would affect how deep the manure goes into the soil, would also affect how the ability of the pathogens to survive.8 In researching the potential for manure to contaminate crops, I have yet to find information about whether it is required for batches of manure to be tested for pathogens before application.
Moreover, because cows are being fed vast amounts of antibiotics, the pathogens with which they become infected are becoming increasingly virulent and challenging to contain. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that studies show that the bacteria and parasites become resistant to antibiotics while still in the cow, later passing along the antibiotic-resistant strains to humans through the contaminated food (or direct contact to the animal or its waste).9
Whereas cooking meat properly can most times kill contaminants, because produce is often eaten uncooked and as washing removes very few pathogens, consumers cannot protect themselves. The government must develop more stringent food safety and inspection protocols to protect the U.S. population from continued widespread contamination. Furthermore, as Eric Schlosser points out and as was unfortunately illustrated by the recent salmonella outbreak in peanuts, “Today the U.S. government can demand the nationwide recall of defective softball bats, sneakers, stuffed animals, and foam-rubber toy cows. But it cannot order a meatpacking company to remove contaminated, potentially lethal ground beef [or other foods] from fast food kitchens and supermarket shelves.”10
1. David Pimental and Marcia H. Pimental. Food, Energy, and Society. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2008. 192.
2. Robert Preidt. “Food-Borne Illnesses From Leafy Greens on Rise in U.S.” ABC News. 24 March 2008.
3. Lindsay Layton. “Food Safety Efforts Have Stalled in Recent Years, CDC Says.” Washington Post. 10 Apr 2009.
4. “Food-Borne Illnesses From Leafy Greens on Rise in U.S.” U.S. News and World Report. 17 March 2008.
5. “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: EPA Needs More Information and a Clearly Defined Strategy to Protect Air and Water Quality from Pollutants of Concern.” Government Accountability Office. GAO-08-944. 4 Sept 2008.
6. Marilynn Larkin. “Roots of Foodborne Illness.” Meeting Report. The New York Academy of Sciences. 30 May 2008.
7. P.A. Moore, Jr., B.C.Joern, D.R. Edwards, C.W. Wood, T.C.Daniel. “Effects of Manure Amendments on Environmental and Production Problems.” White Paper Summary. National Center for Manure and Animal Waste Management. 1 (pdf).
8. Mauricio Espinoza. “Project Seeks to Control Food-Borne Pathogens in Manure.” Ohio State University Extension. 30 May 2003.
9. “The Agricultural Use of Antibiotics and Its Implications for Human Health.” Government Accountability Office. April 1999. GAO/RCED-99-74. 4.