Health: Meat Recall

Dammit! Be careful out there, people. Huffpo informs us that Valley Meats LLC of Coal Valley, Illinois, is recalling 96,000 lb of meat that might have been contaminated with E. coli. Some people have already fallen ill. Here's the pertinent info:

The USDA said the beef was produced in March and distributed in 10-pound to 40-pound packages, sold under brand names including Grillmaster, J&B, Thick 'N Savory, 3S, Klub and Ultimate.

All of the recalled beef products bear the establishment number "EST. 5712" inside the USDA's inspection mark.

Consumers with questions can contact the company at 309-799-7341.

Careful handling does not diminish the risk of E. coli, which, as I've said before, has many unpleasant consequences. Little kids and the elderly are most at risk.

How do you avoid E. coli? No more factory farms would be one good way. Better slaughterhouse procedures. Unfortunately, Americans are addicted to meat, which means we're probably not getting rid of factory farming any time soon. The only way to protect yourself, really, is to buy from trusted butchers rather than Mall*Wart, or other big corporations who buy the cheapest crap and don't bother inspecting or certifying their suppliers. Buy organic, if you can. Eat less red meat, and less meat all around. Between 1 and 2 pounds of beef can make twelve meals, when properly augmented with vegetables.

Some cities worldwide are announcing "meatless days" in an effort to control both the spread of food-borne diseases (including those incidentally related to food, such as Creutzfeld-Jacob Syndrome (a brain-wasting disease), diabetes (linked to obesity), and heart damage) and the negative impact on the planet of eating meat in quantity. Some people are going vegan or vegetarian, a healthy alternative indeed. We each need to do what we can to ensure that our food supply is clean and healthy and doesn't make the planet we live on unlivable.

I'll never give up steak completely, but I don't currently eat it more than six times a year or fewer. Certainly, I don't want to die because of my love for steak - or even have lingering bouts of the nasties.

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