Consumer Law

Mad Cow: A test the Bush Administration doesn?t like

By Nick Slade

Less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows are currently tested for Mad Cow disease under Agriculture Department guidelines, because the agency believes that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers. So when Kansas-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef tried to increase testing to reassure Japanese consumers, the Ag Dept. sued. Fortunately, some judges are smarter than all that and at least recognize the testing as a good thing for providing the consumer with more information. According to the Associated press larger meatpackers have opposed Creekstone’s push to allow wider testing out of fear that consumer pressure (the free market) would force them to begin testing all animals too. Increased testing would raise the price of meat by a few cents per pound. It appears the Court of Appeals maybe on the side of more information is a good thing.

Full post as published by Caveat Emptor on May 12, 2008 (boomark / email).