December 28, 2003

Yahoo! News - Meat From Infected Cow Went to 8 States

I wish these news stories would report on the type of beef parts eaten by the British people who died, if that information is known. Were these people in the habit of eating sweetbreads or other beef products known to carry the disease organisms? If muscle meat, i.e., the normal muscle/flesh cuts of beef has been definitively shown to be safe, even from diseased cattle, that would go a long way toward assuring people they won't die from eating a steak.

This quote is helpful, but not definitive enough. Using words like 'fairly' waters down the science, if the science is certain.

"Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief veterinarian for USDA, said Sunday that science has shown certain meat cuts are fairly safe from infection. Among those are whole cuts without bones, such as beef steaks, roast, liver, and ground beef from labeled cuts like chuck or round.

DeHaven said this suggests the trade restrictions 'are not well-founded in science.'"

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