December 25, 2003
While U.S. Agriculture Department inspectors try to find the source of mad cow disease in a Washington State Holstein, beef sales plummeted and American beef imports were blocked by European and Asian countries.
More than 10,000 pounds of beef was recalled and more recalls are likely as the investigation continues.
Mad cow disease is a virulent form of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain and nervous system, that is normally spread when cattle eat the ground-up remains of infected animals.
It can be spread to humans who eat spinal cord or brain tissue from infected animals. The spongiform bacteria can also spread through meat that has come in contact with infected tissue or that has been processed on contaminated machinery.
It's illegal to use the dangerous parts of cattle in animal feed intended for other cattle but, like other food safety laws, there is very little on-site federal supervision. Inspectors rely on the industry to regulate itself.
Public health officials note that the potentially infected parts of cattle are not normally used in food for humans, although ground beef, hot dogs and other products that use ground-up remains of numerous animals carry the highest risk.
Safety Advice
Consumers should follow these precautions:
- Remember that unlike most other meat-borne illnesses, cooking does not kill mad cow disease.
- Avoid brains, neck bones and beef cheeks.
- Avoid bone marrow and cuts of beef that are sold on the bone.
- Choose boneless cuts of meat.
- For ground beef, choose only meat that is ground on-site in the store.
- Avoid or minimize hot dogs, salami, bologna and such prepackaged meats as pizza toppings, meatballs and taco fillings. All of these can contain small bits of spinal column.
- Eat organic beef. By definition, organic beef comes from steers that are not fed any animal byproducts.
- Choose chicken, pork, lamb, fish or other non-beef meats.
Mad cow disease is a byproduct of modern industrial agriculture. It is spread almost entirely through the use of steer remains in animal feed. Cattle are by nature herbivores and in a natural state exist solely on grasses and other vegetative matter. Evolution has not provided them with much protection against disease spread through cannibalism.
