Tainted meat paralyzes woman: why we need watchdogs

This brilliant article in the New York Times shows why we need a government that will watch over corporations that care more about dollars than people’s health. Why we need journalists to report such things and let us know the system’s flaws.  Why lawsuits against corporations shouldn’t be limited by government. And, arguably, why eating mass-produced meat may not be the greatest idea if you are in the unlucky small percent who wins one of these burgers.

Read it here.

I know some radio talk hosts I wish had gotten this burger instead.

Excerpt:

Ms. Smith’s reaction to the virulent strain of E. coli was extreme, but tracing the story of her burger, through interviews and government and corporate records obtained by The New York Times, shows why eating ground beef is still a gamble. Neither the system meant to make the meat safe, nor the meat itself, is what consumers have been led to believe.

Ground beef is usually not simply a chunk of meat run through a grinder. Instead, records and interviews show, a single portion of hamburger meat is often an amalgam of various grades of meat from different parts of cows and even from different slaughterhouses. These cuts of meat are particularly vulnerable to E. coli contamination, food experts and officials say. Despite this, there is no federal requirement for grinders to test their ingredients for the pathogen.