People are starting to suggest that it may be time to get back to basics and abandon large cattle farming ways. Outbreaks of pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, salmonella, E.coli and B.S.E. (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), better known as “mad cow disease” -- all of which can be traced back to the beloved bovine – have greatly contributed to the rise in public awareness about how food is farmed and processed in this country.
Foodborne Illnesses
E. coli O157:H7 was first recognized as a cause of illness in 1982; the outbreak was traced to contaminated hamburgers. Since then, more infections in the United States have been caused by eating undercooked ground beef than by any other food. E.coli is not the most prevalent food contaminant, however. Salmonella in meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs causes as many as four million infections each year, according to the USDA.
"The consumer has to realize that there is no way that we can create a pathogen-free food supply,' said Tom Carr, a professor of animal science at the University of Illinois. And with reported cases of food-borne illnesses on the rise, large-scale farming practices, in general, have been coming under careful scrutiny.
Supersized Farms, Supersized Problems
Eric Schlosser, author of the book-turned-movie, Fast Food Nation, points out, “Farmers and ranchers, the icons of the American West, are losing their independence, essentially becoming hired hands for the giant multinationals, or being forced off the land entirely.”
“Warren Monfort became one of the nation's first large-scale cattle feeders during the Depression. The meat of grain-fed beef was fatty and tender. Unlike grass-fed beef, it did not need to be aged for a few weeks; it could be eaten within days of the slaughter. Feedlots sprang up throughout the Midwest during the 1970s. Twenty years ago, the Monfort plant in Greeley, Colorado, slaughtered about 175 cattle an hour. By the early 1990s, the plant slaughtered as many as 400 an hour. The speed of the production line at a slaughterhouse is largely responsible for the contamination of the meat.”
Smaller is Better
Proponents of grass-fed beef contend that smaller scale operations, while not as profitable, are the trend of the future, due to the rising consciousness of consumers who realize the serious threat that food-borne illnesses present to general health.
There is also scientific evidence that suggests grass-fed beef is a lot higher in nutritional value than grain-fed beef.
Buy Direct
Although still relatively pricey as compared to traditionally raised beef, it is believed that as consumer demand increases, prices will go down. The Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance encourages meat purchases in quantity and direct from ranchers to cut costs.
Changes in cattle farming practices have a long way to go to become the standard, but one thing seems certain, public awareness will have a lot to do with it. As has been proven in the organic food industry, price may be one factor in determining public acceptance, but health concerns may ultimately be the driving force for change, and with recent media-driven publicity about food-borne illnesses, alternatives are presently being sought out with a steadily increasing degree of urgency.
