Why everyone should care about the Menu foods recall!

[TZ]

So I saw a thread about how the guy who is the director of Menu foods was the head of a company that did hazardous waste disposal and went out of business due to numerous safety and other legal problems
(http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x496517)
and it occured to me that I think the whole contaminated wheat gluten problem is because Menu foods probably decided to cut corners to increase profit by going to a new supplier who I am sure was much much cheaper than the old supplier (did this "new" supplier know it was contaminated wheat? I don't know but I suspect they probably bought it at a reduced price because of it). For those of you who don't know me, not only am I the worried parent of two cats but I also have a degree in biology and 10 years of experience in the biotechnology/medical research field. When I saw the list of safety issues at this guys old company I just knew that they were probably done to save money.However most INTELLIGENT people know you don't cut safety period. I had one stupid employer who in effort to cut costs (even though the corporte jerks at the top made plenty of money) cut stupid stuff like plastic ware in the lunch rooms and limiting how often you could order office supplies. But since the FDA still strictly regulates the biotech/biologics industry (even under Bush until now, despite what you may have heard) NEVER messed with the safety areas. Pet food production is unregulated for the most part. The problem here is that the FDA, the USDA and EPA and other regulatory agencies have had their regulatory "teeth" pulled by having Bush and Co. muzzle the regulatory arms of the agencies. I think we PROBABLY don't have to worry about this batch of contaminated wheat gluten getting eaten by people, because it most likely was marked as "not for human consumption" and therefore cheap to buy no doubt, but we are going to see more and more of this. I think the Spinach, Peanut Butter scares also point this out. We need to let these agencies do their jobs! This is why I don't really trust natural herbs and supplements for either humans or animals because it is a totally unregulated industry. I think that the suppression of enforcement and inspection by the EPA, USDA, FDA is a much bigger threat to the citizens of this country than any al-quaeda terrorist, IMHO!:rant:

[JitterbugPerfume]

1. Thank you turtlensue

I am a cat mom too, and this scared me PLENTY. My Tansy was a stray (ten yr ago) but now she is an indespensible member of my family.

Lately I have pitched out spinach and peanut butter , and that ain't easy on a fixed income

[kestrel91316]

6. I still buy fresh spinach all the time - but at the local farmer's market,

where I can get stuff grown fairly nearby, and where I know there aren't any cattle feedlots nextdoor.

It always helps to know your source well.

[rhett o rick]

2. Good post. I am also owned by a cat. nm

[AZBlue]

12. Me too!

And I love it - wouldn't have it any other way! ;)

[Gregorian]

3. The lesson, I feel, is that we're living way out of equilibrium.

I've always said, a couple of attacks on Safeway headquarters would have this entire country scrambling. Entire communities rely on those doors being open. We are a dependent society. We don't do a thing for ourselves any more.

[lizerdbits]

4. Just cut funding/staff

Not enough money to have enough inspectors, then everything that needs inspecting or oversight doesn't get it and things slip through. In that case you don't need to reward your buddies campaign contributions through relaxing laws, which will get more attention. Just cut the funds and the same thing is accomplished.

[kestrel91316]

5. Pet food prodction is, in theory, regulated. It's not routinely

inspected from what I can tell. Only AFTER there's been a disaster, like with the BSE cows and the Menu Foods mess.

[malaise]

7. Since this scandal

I've been feeding my cat tuna, sardines, chopped fresh sprat and minced chicken parts including liver and skin. I mix it with rice (cooked soft)and prepare enough for three days. He's rather happy. I still give him some dry food from Friskies.

[BanzaiBonnie]

8. YEs, the safety issues are paramount

But what I want to know is what the hell are we doing importing WHEAT from CHina. That is a bigger issue to me.

[lizerdbits]

9. Cheaper?

You'd think it would be cheaper to get it from North America compared to shipping it from China but I don't know the prices, so maybe it's not? Does the wheat produced here have to undergo testing to be sure it's free of various contaminants and in China it's not? And maybe testing isn't required for importation if it's not for human consumption? I'm not familiar with agricultural regulations.

[TZ]

10. I'm not entirely convinced that this wheat

was actually ever meant for any kind of consumption period. A sort of black market deal. The fact the Menu foods WILL NOT reveal its source of this wheat gluten/wheat is very disturbing and suspicious to me.

[SoCalDem]

11. If "our" wheat is superior, and commands a high price, it

gets sold abroad to the highest bidders. the farmers get damned little already, so a few cents here and there mean a lot. If our wheat is not available to US, then we buy the 'cheap stuff' from wherever we can get it..

This is at the crux of globalization.

We import stuff (and burn oil doing it) that we "grow" here..

The people who arrange for the movement of it and the people who provide the fuel to do it are the ones getting the lion's share of the money involved..

[donheld]

13. Who needs Weapons of Mass Destruction?

Our food processors will kill us of with food.