Beef about U.S. Beef
Princeton, Ontario - Friday, July 4, 2003 - by: Rebecca Gingrich
	While one person's request may be ignored, the views of many added to it may result in action being taken to protect our well being. The message below was sent by email to the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Health.
	This following news article appeared in the Associated Press on June 29/03.
	I have a great problem with Canada importing US beef that has been subjected to injections of 'meat tenderizer and other chemicals' as stated in this article.
	Is Canadian beef injected with the same chemicals or any chemicals? If so, why have we not been informed of this practice, and if not, why are we importing beef that contains these chemicals?
	We have also not been informed of the greater danger of previously 'not at risk' meats being infected with ecoli contamination in the process?
	Some very good answers must be forthcoming from your respective departments regarding these practices. Canadians face untold risks in consuming these injected meat products. It is long past time that our government does its job of protecting Canadian food supplies rather than becoming an 'approvals' department.
	I will take my chances with BSE being in a minute amount of Canadian beef, rather than consuming chemicalized American beef at every bite.
	Happy Canada Day!
	Rebecca Gingrich
References:
	WASHINGTON (AP) - Stampede Meat Inc., a Chicago processor of steaks and other meat products, is voluntarily recalling some 739,000 pounds of vacuum packaged steaks and other meat products that may be contaminated with potentially deadly bacteria, federal health officials said Sunday. The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the products subject to the recall were produced between March 17 and March 22 and bear the establishment code "EST. 19113" inside the USDA inspection mark. The meats were distributed to restaurants, institutions and retail stores nationwide. The products were also sold directly to consumers through door-to-door sales. Additionally, the products were distributed to institutions in Canada. The products may be linked to five to E. coli illnesses in Minnesota, Kansas and Michigan, health officials said. E. coli is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and people with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk. Steaks generally are not considered a high-risk source of E. coli. However, the recalled products were injected with meat tenderizers and other chemicals and that process may have introduced the E. coli bacteria to the inside of the product, the FSIS said in a news statement. Consumers with questions can call Stampede at 1-800-353-0933.
	Editor's note: You can forward your concerns to the Minister of Agriculture vanclief.l@parl.gc.ca. Please note that for people in Western Canada contacting this man has been shown to be a complete waste of time and effort. However, Ontario, Quebec and Maritime readers are more likely to be noticed.
	You may contact the Minister of Health at mclellan.a@parl.gc.ca
Retrun to Ensign - Return to Saskatchewan News   This page is a story posted on Ensign and/or Saskatchewan News, both of which are daily web sites offering a variety of material from scenic images, political commentary, information and news. These publications are the work of Faster Than Light Communications . If you would like to comment on this story or you wish to contact the editor of these sites please send us email.   Editor : Timothy W. Shire Faster Than Light Communication Box 1776, Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, S0E 1T0 306 873 2004