Disgusted and Angry

With the blackout for the Jays game last night I decided to surf the channels. I was immediately stopped with the sight of a rural scene and a farmer feeding chickens. Unfortunately this was just the lead up to a full length documentary on the chicken and beef industry in America. As disturbing as the pictures were I could not take my eyes off the screen. The facts presented and the coldness of the owners and leaders in the production caused me to get very angry.

This documentary produced with the use of hidden cameras showed the brutal manner of the industry in having chickens produced in dark rooms in 39 days from egg to table by Prime and Purdue producers. Beef cattle treated in a similar manner and the type of food and drugs given these creatures would make you think about being a vegetarian. The workers involved in the industry are marginalized and are treated like the animals they work with. Third world workers and illegals are the main source of manpower and the average wage is around $18,000  per year.

Hogs were the third group of animals studied and they fared a little better up to shipping time. The methods of slaughtering the animals meets some standard but the manner in which all these animals are treated during the process of getting them ready for market are questionable. Deadly outbreaks of deadly coli frequently pass unnoticed and recalls are frequent. This food production used to be protected by the FDA but now most of the monitoring of the food is self regulated. The number of food inspectors has been diminished by budget cuts and only a small number of people actually inspect and regulate.

At one time if something bad was discovered the inspectors had the power to shut down the operation but now being self regulated there are few shutdowns until someone or many get sick or die from the contamination. Sanitation is addressed in the slaughter houses and packing plants but because of the food sources of the animals and the hygiene of the feed lots it is impossible to be completely safe.

Animal  rights people have for some time been aware of the problems connected with the food industry but the food lobby is so powerful little will be done. Most remember the contamination caused by bad hamburger in a fast food chain called Jack In the Box which resulted in deaths and giant recalls. This is and will be repeated over and over until there are tighter regulations on a food industry which is profit driven.

Canadian regulations are much more controlling but we still get outbreaks such as the one at Maple Leaf Foods a few years ago. I wish that everyone could have seen this documentary as there would be considerable pressure from you the public to bring about needed changes in the way we deal with our food production.