Double cheeseburger fans are going to have to face a grim reality. The rising cost of raw materials means that McDonald’s has to pay more for beef– and the double cheeseburger will probably have to leave the dollar menu.
beef
Bush Administration To Meatpackers: Please Stop Testing For Mad Cow Disease
By 5.26.08
The USDA has appealed a district court decision that would allow meatpackers to conduct their own tests for mad cow disease, alleging that such testing would only create “false assurances.” The original plaintiff, Creekstone Farms, wants to test all of its cattle for mad cow but the USDA has prevented it from buying the testing kits.
Do You Know What Grade Of Beef Taco Bell Uses? Do They? Does Anyone?
By 5.8.08
A 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.
The Great 2008 Beef Recall's Cow Torturing Villains Revealed
By 2.28.08
Here are the booking photos of Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., employees, Jose Luis Sanchez and Daniel Navarro. They are both suspects arrested in connection with the animal abuse incident at the slaughterhouse.
Meat Industry Wants To "Unrecall" Some Of That Potentially Tainted Beef
By 2.22.08
The Wall Street Journal says that that beef industry representatives have been talking with federal food-safety regulators about possibly “narrowing the scope” of the recent record-breaking beef recall that stemmed from an undercover video showing slaughter house workers hitting sick cows with forklifts and forcing them into the slaughter box. Cows that can not stand are not allowed into the food supply because they pose an increased risk of “mad cow” disease.
Get Out Your $#%@# Checkbook! Here Comes "Food Inflation"
By 2.22.08
Think you’re paying too much for food now? You’re going to pay more in 2008 according to Reuters.
By 1.15.08
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The FDA’s announcement today that cloned beef and dairy is safe was met with criticism by several consumer groups, which isn’t surprising, and the US Department of Agriculture, which is—they say that food producers should continue to honor a “voluntary moratorium” for the indefinite future…
The Truth About Kobe Beef
By 1.3.08
Real Kobe beef can only come from one region of Japan—and since the U.S. has banned Japanese beef imports due to mad cow fears, the best you can hope for now in an American restaurant is Kobe-style beef, writes Debonair Magazine. They explain what to look for if you’re shopping for this premium beef in the U.S., and the best way to prepare it.
By 12.29.07
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Texas: 14,800 pounds of stolen ground beef may be contaminated with E. coli, says the USDA. So, uh, just for now, don’t buy any ground beef from the back of a truck. [Reuters]
Meat Sold In Bulk To Retailers And Distributors Recalled For e. Coli
By 11.26.07
Meat processed by American Foods Group of Green Bay, WI has been recalled following an investigation by the Illinois Department of Health. The meat was sold in bulk quantities to retailers and distributors and may not be easily identifiable to consumers, says the USDA:
The products subject to recall were distributed for further processing and repackaging and will not bear the recalling firm’s establishment number on the package. As the use-by date for products subject to this recall may have expired, consumers can contact their retailers to ask if they received any of these products and if so, consumers are urged to look in their freezers for these products and return or discard them if found.
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Walmart, Pathmark, Topps Meat For Selling E. Coli Tainted Beef
By 10.5.07
28 people in 8 states have fallen ill due to e. coli exposure from Topps frozen hamburgers and now a class action lawsuit has been filed against the meat processor and several grocery stores who sold the product. 10 people have been hospitalized. One has hemolytic-uremic syndrome, which causes kidney failure.
Beef Recall Expanded To Eleven Western States
By 6.11.07
5.7 million pounds of beef distributed by United Food Group may be infected with E. coli. The beef bears sell-by dates from April 6-April 20; though the beef won’t be found on supermarket shelves, it might still be in your freezer.
The recalled products were shipped to stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. They were sold under the brand names Moran’s All Natural, Miller Meat Company, Stater Bros., Trader Joe’s Butcher Shop, Inter-American Products Inc. and Basha’s.
USDA To Meatpackers: You Have No Right To Test For Deadly Diseases
By 5.31.07
The USDA has vowed to safeguard your meat by fighting reckless meatpackers that want to test their dead cattle for mad cow disease. The USDA’s current policy of testing less than 1% of cows is clearly succeeding since none of you have caught Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human variant of mad cow disease.
E. Coli Prompts Beef Recall in Eight States
By 5.13.07
PM Beef Holdings is recalling 117,500 pounds of beef that may be tainted with E. coli. The tainted beef has already landed three Minnesotans in the hospital, and now threatens residents in eight states.
“Because these products later became ground beef sold under many different retail brand names, consumers should check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall,” the USDA said.
The USDA is working overtime to figure out who received the tainted beef, which was prepared on March 27. The beef has already been traced to Minnesota, Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. To thwart E. coli, heat your meat to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
All About Steak
By 1.8.07
The Slate writer held a taste test and decided on grass-fed beef at $21.50 per lbs, not the most expensive variety tested. “Never have I witnessed a piece of meat so move grown men (and women).” Check it out.
HOWTO: Buy a Side of Beef
By 12.13.06
Get Rich Slowly has some instructions on how to buy a side of beef—which is a good way to support local ranchers, save money and get a superior quality product. Growing up, our parents always purchased meat this way. Often several couples or families will pool money to purchase a single animal. One of the advantages (aside from cost) is the time savings involved in never having to shop for beef. There’s always something in the fridge. From the post:
“Grass-Fed Beef” No Longer Means “Grass-Fed”; Still Means “Beef”
By 9.18.06
Savvy and sensitive supermarket shoppers love informative labels that also make them feel good about their meat purchases. Phrases like “free-range” or “grass-fed.” Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing the animal lived a naturalistic, humane life in the great outdoors before meeting its fate on the kill floor. Viva cognitive dissonance!
