This week’s Vegan Bites include more on downer cows and the HSUS undercover video of Westland/Hallmark Beef. I’ve collected various quotes from many different sources, many with different perspectives on the issue.

Obviously, I think veganism is the only rational response to the undercover video. But I also think the video exposes more than animal cruelty; the video exposes a broken food safety system. We vegans know that this type of cruelty will never vanish from the meat industry. So long as there is a meat industry, it will involve cruelty and inhumane treatment. In fact, many vegans, myself included, believe humane meat is an oxymoron.

But even if the meat industry were abolished today, we’d still have a problem of food safety. Vegans are safe from tainted meat and the majority of food poisoning, but we’re still susceptible to disease from improper food handling methods. The current food safety regulations in the US are not enforced stringently enough and people get sick everyday because of that. Those who eat a vegan diet primarily for personal health reasons are well aware that our food safety system is broken and needs major reform.

These articles discuss both issues of animal cruelty and food safety:

• SuperVegan:
  

  “By this point, everybody’s seen the video of downer cows being abused by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing employees. And everyone’s read about the massive beef recall that the HSUS video prompted. The upshot is that nonveg*ns everywhere are finally getting to see what we already knew happens to scores of animals in this country every day.” Read more here >>

• Taste Better:
  

  “That’s right, beef companies who sell blends of ground beef from different slaughterhouses were lobbying the government to keep their products on the market, because, well, they were only kind of illegal. That’s like saying that the beef only has some poop in it, so it’s mostly good. Oh wait, Beef Inc already says that (why do you think they keep saying you need to cook beef thoroughly?)” Read more here >>

• Animal Person:
  

  “I kid you not when I say all nine non-vegans were apoplectic and wanted to know if there was anything they could do about the situation in California. Two wanted to send HSUS some cash to make sure the guilty parties were properly prosecuted or something like that. These individuals were so upset that I had to tread lightly while reminding them of their hypocrisy.” Read more here >>

• USA Today:
  

  “The scandalous conditions at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing…only came to light because animal rights activists went undercover and filmed the horrific way workers tried to get the downer cows to stand…Recalls are a poor substitute for ensuring the safety of the food supply in the first place.” Read more here >>

• The New York Times:
  

  “A nauseating video of cows stumbling on their way to a California slaughterhouse has finally prompted action: the largest recall of meat in American history…The question Congress needs to ask is how many people need to get sick or die before it starts repairing and modernizing the nation’s food safety system?” Read more here >>

• Los Angeles Times:
  

  “Our food supply watchdogs, the USDA and the FDA, are falling down on the job…It would be more reassuring to see USDA officials, instead of soothing the public, reacting with the same consternation that consumers feel.” Read more here >>

• Philadelphia Inquirer:
  

  “Talk about closing the door after the sick cow has left the barn. This episode shows the need for stricter enforcement of food-safety regulations, and more government inspectors.” Read more here >>
  

• St. Petersburg Times:
  

  “This is just the latest proof that the federal food-safety bureaucracy is broken…Considering that the meat from the Westland/Hallmark facility ends up in subsidized products for schools, needy families and the elderly, the neglect of duty by the company and the USDA is even more appalling.” Read more here >>
  

• Hillary Clinton:
  

  “America needs a President who will deliver concrete reforms that fill the gaps in our food safety system.” Read more here >>

• Barack Obama:
  

  “I commend the Humane Society of the United States for bringing this important issue to the public attention and believe that the mistreatment of downed cows is unacceptable and poses a serious threat to public health.” Read more here >>

Sections: Vegan News
Topics: All Vegan Links, downed cows, hsus, veg