Have you ever wondered which country the beef you see in the meat counter comes from? It never used to say the country of origin, did it? You couldn’t tell if it was ground or packaged in Mexico or South America. Worry no more; it will soon be on that package you pickup in the meat market. American cattlemen have wanted this for years, but store chains that handle cheap meat from other countries in order to compete with U.S. beef fought such labeling.
I think this is a win-win for American ranchers. American beef is a neat, clean product, processed under a stringent U.S. government meat inspection program that ensures consumers of a sure product. I have no doubts Canadians do the same, but after that my idea of foreign meat inspection and sanitary conditions is questionable, so I would not buy it. But that is up to the individual and what they choose to feed their family.
There was a book written back in the 1920s by Upton Sinclair called “The Jungle.” It is a scathing fictional book about the meat processing industry in the United States that changed the entire meat processing system at the public urging of Congress. The book is set against a background of European immigrant workers working dangerous jobs for long hours and low pay. A good example from the book was when a worker slipped and fell into a huge boiling vat of melting lard and his body was never recovered.
Sinclair’s novel brought out some of the grimiest things that were going on in the industry. Congress began hearings and news headlines screamed for laws to stop the unsanitary ways. Stringent laws were written requiring plants to become sanitary, humane and all animals slaughtered to be inspected by certified veterinarians.
The laws followed as the industry marched into a new world that called for testing of harmful chemicals. Today, they can detect parts per million of toxic things and things otherwise unsafe for people to ingest. With all the cleanup, strict sanitation and animal health, I would have no problem eating a protein product processed in the United States under the USDA inspection program.
People from time to time ask me about poultry processing. I spent 34 years working for Tyson Foods as management in the poultry production division. In those years I spent time in plants processing broilers and working around their labs – I was always impressed with the concern for quality.
When your bread and butter is your life and future, you better be concerned about that quality of the package of cut up chicken or the dish cooked for the consumer. One bad deal could be the embarrassment that hurts your company forever. There was never an embarrassment – because there are so many sanitary and safety checks by the company and the USDA inspection right down to the individuals on the line.
Would I eat a Tyson Chicken? Yes, and I would not have a fear of any health repercussion.
Now you’ll know where that meat came from. God bless America and all of you.
Western novelist Dusty Richards and his wife Pat live on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. For more information about his books you can email Dusty by visiting ozarksfn.com and clicking on ‘Contact Us’ or call 1-866-532-1960.
