We eat so little beef that it really hasn't affected us. Also, it's not supposed to have spread this far southeast. They say there isn't any bad beef actually on the market and that they're just doing it as a safety precaution. If I lived out west, I wouldn't buy beef just to be on the safe side.
Rhonda
Time invested in improving ourselves cuts down on time disapproving of others.
I don't remember when the announcement was first made, but I had steak for dinner Friday (I feel fine) and bought steak tips Sunday to freeze for later use. We don't eat as much beef as we used to, but mad cow doesn't have anything to do with it; we'll continue to eat it as we do now. If someone from around here were to become ill, I might reconsider future purchases.
I'm watching the news closely for several reasons.The media really plays on any alarming news, in my opinon.And for that reason sometimes the public doesn't get the facts as they should.Still even believing that I can't help but have some twinges of concern but thruthfully I haven't thought twice about feeding my family beef.From a financial concern I'm wondering how it might impact our farm as we have beef cattle.I hope it sends a strong message to anyone in the business of producing, buying or selling food for human comsumption that we each bear a tremendous responsibility for the safety of the food.
I was surprised to learn about 'downer' cows too. I always assumed that the cows taken to slaughter were healthy and that the ones who were not were disposed of 'somehow.' I haven't been a big consumer of red meat for quite some time now as it doesn't agree with my system very well and I prefer chicken and fish to beef. I doubt the mad cow issue will change my buying habits all that much although I don't think I'll be eating hamburger much anymore. It was good to see the FDA (or whatever group it was, I forget things this early in the morning) step right up and do something about it.
I saw on the news last night about the downer cows and I just cringed. It seems so wrong to treat them like that but I suppose that's the animal lover in me. There's no pretty way to take an animal to slaughter I guess. Makes vegetarianism look pretty good sometimes...
I was pleased to see last night on the news that any cow tested for mad cow will be held back from slaughter but for the most part I do not fear being affected by Mad Cow disease.
"Guarded" would've be the best term for me when the news broke. One cow not from a beef-producing farm is hardly room for panic... but facts have been slow to come. The other day I was looking to buy some lean ground beef to make burgers on my new George Forman grill. I checked to see where the beef came from (distributed in Ohio), and wasn't sure if that was a state that might've been one of the ones having "possibly" received beef from the packer in question. I asked DH - he couldn't remember either, so I said "What about ground turkey?" and we went with that. Either that day or the very next day, we started hearing more facts: the cow's age and function (dairy), where she was purchased, what tissues are affected in mad cow (steaks near the spine more prone, as is ground beef), which states were under the recall (not Ohio), etc. etc. etc. We don't eat much beef here anyway, ground beef maybe twice a month - even my sphagetti is all veggies. Now that I know more about it all and understanding our beef doesn't come from the area under watch, I'm going to return to our regular purchases. Were I in your area, Deb, I'd be one of the cautious consumers about beef purchases until beef cattle were cleared (they might already be and I just haven't heard).
Rhonda
Time invested in improving ourselves cuts down on time disapproving of others.
~~Rhonda~~
<
Miss P
I saw on the news last night about the downer cows and I just cringed. It seems so wrong to treat them like that but I suppose that's the animal lover in me. There's no pretty way to take an animal to slaughter I guess. Makes vegetarianism look pretty good sometimes...
Lori
Lori
Deb,
I was pleased to see last night on the news that any cow tested for mad cow will be held back from slaughter but for the most part I do not fear being affected by Mad Cow disease.
You Were Born An Original... Don't Die A Copy
Cussette, CL for Family Finances
Visit the Family Finances Website
for links, tips, reading, tools and answers to your financial questions
C