Questions about Mad Cow...

[LeahMira]

OK, I can stop eating beef with no particular problem. I'll have to read a few labels, I guess, but that's easy enough.

I'm wondering, though, if cow products like gelatin (which I think comes from hoofs) are also off limits? Are there any polysyllabic concoctions in foods that are derived from cow products of some sort?

How about things like dog food? Will dog foods that say they contain beef kill my pets?

Is there any reliable website that gives definitive information, and maybe a list of cow products to avoid that I wouldn't necessarily connect with cows?

It seemed like a really simple New Year resolution, but now that I'm thinking about it, our food sources are so messed up, artificially flavored, genetically altered, and chemically preserved that suddenly it doesn't seem so simple.

Is anyone else concerned here?

[NYC]

1. Yes, I'm very concerned.

I have given up all cow products, except those imported from the European Union.

By cow products, I mean bread, pasta, cheese, chocolate, etc., anything containing milk or butter. Chickens and pigs are being fed dead cows, so I have given up those as well. I'm working on coming up with a new diet, though I expect it to include a lot of imported food.

I will try to come back later with links, but even soap and candle ingredients were recalled because of the Christmas mad cow.

Some links, though I am not finding what I wanted:

Taiwan's Council of Agriculture banned beef and related products, such as cosmetics made from placenta...
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/detail.asp?onNews=1&GRP=A&id=22114

Here's a link to a DU thread about domestic cow ingredients:

Edited trying to shorten the link, but can't remember how.

[LeahMira]

10. Thanks... keep the info coming please.

... even soap and candle ingredients were recalled because of the Christmas mad cow.

Soapwort roots, the flowering heads of sweet pepper bush, and yucca roots can all be used as soap if you're willing to take the time. Learn from the Indians! (Or read the Rodale Herb Book.)

By cow products, I mean bread, pasta, cheese, chocolate, etc.

Pasta? I use flour, eggs, salt, olive oil, and water to make pasta. So where's the cow?

Really, though, it's frightening to think of all the products that may be affected. We aren't a family that has meat at every meal, or even every day, but we do have meat or fish maybe three or four times a week. Still, we do use soap every day... and intend to continue that practice. I can see that the health food stores and the neighborhood co-op are going to get more of our business though.

Thanks to all for your most excellent information. I'll definitely check back to learn more about this.

[NYC]

23. Re Pasta.

Eggs come from chickens, and chickens are fed dead cows.

I want clean food.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sexycool]

2. Yes, piss off as few cows as possible.

[AlienGirl]

3. I think the danger is overstated

Now, my vegan self is a bit loathe to say this, since I think eating beef is a Bad Idea To Begin With.

But I don't think vCJD is that big a danger. Remember the predictions about a widespread outbreak that was going to kill off half of Great Britain? How many people actually died--40 maybe?

It seems like vCJD is actually not that easy to catch. I don't think the danger is high enough to justify changing your entire lifestyle.

That said: Gelatin can contain spinal matter, and theoretically prions--it's made from boiled bones, possibly including the spine. Substitute Emes kosher gelatin, which is made from seaweed. Stearates, often used for vitamin coating, can be beef-based. Commercial dog food probably isn't a good idea (downer cows) but then no one knows if prions can cross the species barrier to canines. There are vegetarian dog foods, and dogs *can* be healthy on vegetarian diets.

VegSource has a ton of info: http://www.vegsource.com

Tucker

[NYC]

4. It is much more than mad cow.

I gave up milk because of the hormones. I recently found out that gangrenous cows are put into the food supply. I'm boycotting until they learn to serve us clean food.

[pansypoo53219]

9. i don't get meat from a supermarket

yes, i admit it. i had meatballs for dinner. but i get my meat from a very reputable butcher. i am thinkin it might be close to free range, cause the pork is fantastic.

i also admit i am a reincarnated cat and therefore very carnivoristic. but i think my slads too. but prefer fresh from the farmer's market.

[Deja Q]

14. They have hormone-free milk.

Costs $2.20 per half-gal, or $3.69 per gallon.

But these corporate entities, always out to make money, should give a thought about the consumers they're supposed to be serving.

Another reason to hate corporations, that's all it is. And, sadly, corporations don't seem to do much to justify their prices or come across as being noble entities anymore. :-( Just a bunch of greedy pigs.

[girl gone mad]

7. I'm a vegetarian..

who agrees with you for the most part. I think close to 140 people developed CJD in the UK (so far), though there is no way of knowing how many got it from eating meat. Far more people will get sick and die from things like e-coli and listeria.

What is scary about the mad cow prions is that (AFIK) they cannot be destroyed. Last I heard, there are warehouses in England full of the ashes of infected cows which were cremated. The prions aree intact and anyone going in the wartehouses has to wear full biohazard gear. Since the prions can't be destroyed by known means, gelatin would not be safe if it contained parts of the spinal cord or brains.

Mad Cow is scary because it's so unusual, but I don't think it's a very big threat, especially if you avoid brains and mechanically recovered meat. I'm not a vegan, but I only buy organic milk, cream and cheeses. NOthing from factory farms.

[madaboutharry]

5. I would stay away from

stock and soups made from beef stock since commercial beef stock is made from the skeletal remains of the carcass. That includes things like French onion soup and even some soups marketed as vegtable soups will be made with beef stock. A lot of candies, gums, and ice creams have gelatin in them as well.

Kosher foods with the word "Parve" or "Pareve" on them contain neither meat nor diary byproducts of any kind in them. You might want to look for those, it will always be right on the label. There are probably some of these things in your home right now.

[AlienGirl]

6. Read the labels

That can't be overstated enough...but once you get used to reading the labels, it becomes pretty easy to find "safe" products.

"Natural flavors" can sometimes be animal-based; but in a product that's parve, they shouldn't be. (Vegans should note that parve can include fish and eggs, though.)

Tucker

[MoonRiver]

8. My family is completely vegetarian, but we worry about our dog.

Mad cow has been found in a group of dogs in Great Britain. They were hunting dogs that lived in the same home. Anyway, we're going to start giving our "baby" organic dog food. That's a lot safer.

[DUreader]

11. "Red Bull" contains 'Taurine'(sp?)

Extracted from (the testicles I have heard) Bulls

[AlienGirl]

13. Taurine's an amino acid

I'm pretty sure its source is genetically modified bacteria, but I'm looking it up to be sure. It's present in all animal tissue, and wouldn't be extracted from the testicles exclusively if its source were non-vegetarian.

On edit: Yay for Snopes! http://www.snopes.com/toxins/redbull.htm Red Bull contains no products of animal derivation.

Tucker

[DUreader]

19. Thanks A.G.

I guess it was easy to believe due to the product name

[Deja Q]

15. Oh yuck, and I just drank the stuff a week ago!

I liked the taste, it was so... odd yet refreshing.

Made me ill a bit later though...

[AlienGirl]

16. Once again, see Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/redbull.htm

Whatever else is in it, Mad Cow is not a concern...

Tucker

[Misterpilot]

12. Where is BUSH on this one?

Whay hasn't the government stepped in to create a massive program to keep us safe? They could hire all the people laid off by exporting jobs overseas to inspect cattle ranches. Just another example of how Bush does not care about the simple man and his problems.

[arewethereyet]

17. I'm alert but unconcerned

I'm sure that other cattle in the herd that this one was bred will show up as infected but the scale is tiny (this was a dairy cow firstly, and only neurological tissue can hurt you) and the risk low to begin with.

Pay attention to what happens but use flying off the handle is rarely the answer.

[silverlib]

18. I am concerned, too...

I now refuse to buy meat at conventional stores and looked at a local Central Market, which is a local chain store's answer to Whole Foods, but they do not state their meat is organic, just corn fed, which leads me to think that it may not be completely organic. I looked at the Whole Foods website and they guarantee their beef to organic. That's where I'll be buying mine from now on. I realize that their is nothing I can do to completely protect my family, as this stuff can also be carried, as I understand, in the exterior covering of some medications, as well as many other products that would not carry labeling to let me know, but I certainly need to eat less beef and I can buy organic and cut down on consumption without killing my pocketbook.

Any other thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[cliss]

20. Thanks everyone for the awesome bits of info.

This is why I keep returning to the DU; there are many people with an enormous amount of information which really helps in situations like these where we cannot trust the government. Nor can we trust the cattle ranchers because my life is of no concern to them.

It's like having 36,000 friends here!

Anyway, here's what I know: the "downer" cow from Moses Lake had Mad Cow which probably came from "cannibal pellets" which it ate. The practice was banned in 1997, but there are no laws prohibiting its use (I'm currently studying what the real situation is here).

Cow brains and hamburger are more risky to eat. Gelatin (like jell-o and gelatin capsules on vitamins) is in fact more risky because it's made from boiled spines and bones and hooves I believe.

I'm somewhat of a curiosity at my office. Everyone keeps asking me in the lunch room: "what exactly don't you eat?" I reply: "I do not eat meat and pork even if my life depended on it. It's dangerous". They would go back to their Big Mac's and meat loaf, and smile generously.

Last week, however, I had some people come to me nervously and ask my advice. They wanted to know what they should do about the mad cow problem. Interesting how yesterday's curiosity can be tomorrow's expert.

My sister called me last week about a hamburger she ate. She's been worried sick about eating tainted meat. I'm a vegetarian so I have no worries. That's probably the best reason for going vegetarian: you don't have to worry anymore.

[Native]

22. Excellent Web Source for Info

http://organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm