<![CDATA[Consumerist: food supply]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/consumerist.com.png <![CDATA[Consumerist: food supply]]> http://consumerist.com/tag/food supply http://consumerist.com/tag/food supply <![CDATA[ Do You Know What Grade Of Beef Taco Bell Uses? Do They? Does Anyone? ]]> 050808-002-tacobell158.jpgA reader sent us the contents of a Better Business Bureau complaint filed against Taco Bell. It describes how a customer tried repeatedly to find out what grade beef Taco Bell uses in its food, and how nobody at the company was able or willing to provide an answer. Not surprisingly, the BBB complaint also went unanswered. Let's just hope they're not sourcing their beef from forklift cattle, which is like downer cattle but has odd prong-shaped bruises on the side.

Here's the actual BBB complain that went unanswered by Taco Bell:

About 3 weeks ago i called the 800# asking what grade of beef they use. All they could tell me was usda approved. I called 4 times and got the same, twice i left my # and was told a nutritionalist would call me back....no call ever came. I next e mailed corp with the same question. I was answered by a Sandy Shakelford telline me:I have located a phone number contact in which you can inquire about our meat. Taco Bell Corporation 949-863-4500 and ask for the QA Department. I called a total of three times first got a prompt telling me to put in MY voice mail # to get my messages. Next i was transfered to a recording telling of bad cheese both plain and mixed and to throw them out and call in for a credit. Third was disconected. 4th i got a voice mailbox in the Quality control dept. i think his name was Steve...Again i left my question and # and again no call back. On Feb 27 i e mailed Sandy telling her what my phone experiance was and had not got an answer to my question...That was 10 days ago and again no contact from Sandy nor Taco Bell. Side note the web sight says contact us call 1800 TACO BELL when its actually 800 TACO BEL....The companys resistance to answer my question tells me what i was told by a friend that worked there that they use poor yet usda approved beef could be true.

(Thanks to Moe!)

(Photo: karlfrankowski)

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Consumerist-388718 Thu, 08 May 2008 17:28:54 EDT Chris Walters http://consumerist.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=388718&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ The Humane Society of America has sued the ... ]]> con_tinyforklift.jpg The Humane Society of America has sued the USDA in an attempt to close a loophole that allows downer cows who aren't otherwise ill into the food supply. They claim the loophole increases the risk of introducing mad cow disease to humans, and leads to abuse against the cattle—like with, oh, say, a forklift. [Wall Street Journal]

RELATED
"USDA Stops Production At Meatpacking Facility After Undercover Video Showed Sick Cows Being Abused"
"USDA Recalls 143 Million Pounds Of Beef"

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Consumerist-361829 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:32:15 EST Chris Walters http://consumerist.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=361829&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ USDA Pays Farm Subsidies To Dead Farmers ]]> usda.jpgThe USDA likes to pay dead farmers to grow corn, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Some of the dead farmers received in excess of $500,000 in government subsidies. Hmm! How very mysterious!

From the GAO's report:

USDA has made farm program payments to estates more than 2 years after recipients died, without determining, as its regulations require, whether the estates were kept open to receive these payments. As a result, USDA cannot be assured that farm payments are not going to estates kept open primarily to obtain these payments. From 1999 through 2005, USDA did not conduct any of the required eligibility determinations for 73, or 40 percent, of the 181 estates GAO reviewed. Sixteen of these 73 estates had each received more than $200,000 in farm payments, and 4 had each received more than $500,000.
Gee, that sounds bad. So, how much did it cost us? $1.1 billion dollars!

For 1999 through 2005, USDA paid $1.1 billion in farm payments in the names of 172,801 deceased individuals (either as an individual recipient or as a member of an entity). Of this total, 40 percent went to those who had been dead for 3 or more years, and 19 percent to those dead for 7 or more years.
Good job, USDA! You are broken.

USDA Needs to Strengthen Management Controls to Prevent Improper Payments to Estates and Deceased Individuals (PDF) [Government Accountability Office]

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Consumerist-282300 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:59:58 EDT Meg Marco http://consumerist.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=282300&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ 92% Of Americans Want Country Of Origin Labels On Food ]]> According to a national survey conducted by Consumer's Union, the non-profit organization that publishes Consumer Reports, 92% of Americans want country of origin labels on their food. Country of origin labels are required on all imported food, thanks to a 5 year old law, but that law has never been enforced.

Consumer's Union also asked about several other labels, including "organic" and "natural." 9 out of 10 of consumers polled by Consumer's Union wanted the word "natural" to refer to meat that "comes from animals that were raised on a natural diet without drugs, chemicals or other artificial ingredients." Currently the label "natural" refers to the processing methods used after the animal was slaughtered.

Food-Labeling Poll (PDF) [Consumers Union]

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Consumerist-277777 Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:29:50 EDT Meg Marco http://consumerist.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=277777&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Walmart Pulls Contaminated Frozen Catfish From China ]]> catfish.jpgChina needs a PR company that specializes in damage control. Walmarts nationwide are pulling their supply of 4oz frozen catfish fillets due to recent finding in Alabama that the catfish may be contaminated with an anti-biotic banned in the US. From CBS4:
Fluoroquinolone was reportedly banned by the FDA in 1997, but Florida food safety experts officials told CBS-4's Al Sunshine that it is not an imminent threat to public health and it's more of an issue of keeping unneeded antibiotics out of the human food supply.

Wal-Mart officials say they that while working closely with their suppliers and the FDA, they became aware earlier in the week of a potential issue with a one of their 4 oz. frozen catfish fillets.

The store immediately sent out word to all of their locations nationwide to remove the product from stores.

The catfish investigation started in Alabama. From Forbes:

Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks announced a stop sale order in the state for all catfish from China after antibiotics banned in the United States were found in Chinese catfish.

Sparks said 20 samples of catfish from China were collected for testing by the department of agriculture over the last few weeks. Of those samples, 14 tested positive for fluoroquinolones, an antibiotic banned by the FDA since 1997.

"We are sending notice today that we are not going to continue to sit by and let these foreign countries produce their food at a different standard than we ask our farmers to produce by and then send those products in here at a cheaper price," Sparks said Wednesday.

China, China, China. Damn. Now everyone is looking. The recall affects around 214,260 lbs of catfish in Alabama. —MEGHANN MARCO


Walmart Pulls Contaminated Catfish From Stores
[CBS4]
Alabama Bans Chinese Catfish [Forbes]

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Consumerist-256123 Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:12:11 EDT Meg Marco http://consumerist.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=256123&view=rss&microfeed=true