Food safety

Food safety
Public should demand compliance with mad-cow regulations

May 15, 2001

A third of Colorado’s cattle-feed producers are not complying with the rules designed to prevent an outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States.

That doesn’t mean humans are at immediate risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. It does indicate, however, that some feed producers are not taking seriously the regulations that were designed to protect the cattle industry, which is a major economic force in Colorado.

The Food and Drug Administration issued rules in 1997 prohibiting the feeding of cattle or other ruminant parts to U.S. cattle. British experts believe that humans can contract BSE by eating meat from cattle that were fed the rendered remains of diseased animals. About 95 people have contracted the disease, which is fatal.

More worrisome to some experts was the finding that at the 40 Colorado locations which handle both cattle remains and other protein from pigs or chickens, inspectors were not able to answer the vital question of whether those firms have a system to prevent co-mingling of the materials. When such mingling occurs, feed producers must apply a warning label. Failure to identify such feed means that cattle producers may not have accurate information about what their animals are consuming.

"There’s no excuse for not complying" with the rules, said Tom Cook, president of the National Renderers Association, and we certainly have to agree. The costs of noncompliance could be deadly to humans and devastating to an entire segment of the economy.

"The present system has no allowance for either human greed or human error, and that’s a bad way to proceed," said Carol Tucker Foreman, director of the Food Policy Institute of the Consumer Federation of America. "It’s such a devastating disease for both humans and animals; it’s probably worthwhile to take all the protective steps we can."

Human greed and human error are components of our economy that are very difficult to eliminate. What Foreman is saying is that we can probably expect problems even if all producers complied with the FDA regulations. If they don’t — and they clearly are not — infection may be inevitable. That’s a frightening thought.

Compliance apparently is not impossible. All Wyoming feed producers whose records were reviewed were following the rules. That presents another challenge: market share. It makes sense that cattle feeders would buy feed from feed producers who could demonstrate the safety of their product. If Colorado producers cannot do that, they’re likely to lose business to competitors who can.

The third danger is that even if the integrity of our food supply is maintained, consumers logically will have less confidence. Shrinking demand makes producers more likely to cut corners, and a vicious cycle can begin.

Mad cow disease isn’t a myth, and combating it isn’t a computer game. The consequences are too dangerous. It’s disturbing to learn that feed producers either are not taking the problem seriously, or are unable to follow the rules. Everyone should be assured of the safety of the commodities they utilize, whether that be cattle feed, beef, or information.