Comments on: Wasted Meat is Such a Downer http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/ Jews, Food, and Contemporary Issues Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:07:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Leah Koenig http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4684 Leah Koenig Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:41:11 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4684 The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company will be closing its doors after the 143 million pound meat recall. Read more here: http://www.marlerblog.com/ The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company will be closing its doors after the 143 million pound meat recall. Read more here:

http://www.marlerblog.com/

]]> By: Jeff Yoskowitz http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4667 Jeff Yoskowitz Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:10:47 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4667 I'm afraid, Shmuel, the Kosher Today bulletin doesn't so much as report phenomenon as much as put them in the perspective of the gains and growth of the industry. It's a press tool and functions like press release, so by it's very nature it plays a role in what I was describing more than just reporting the facts. I’m afraid, Shmuel, the Kosher Today bulletin doesn’t so much as report phenomenon as much as put them in the perspective of the gains and growth of the industry. It’s a press tool and functions like press release, so by it’s very nature it plays a role in what I was describing more than just reporting the facts.

]]> By: Rabbi Shmuel http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4650 Rabbi Shmuel Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:10:59 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4650 "They’re essentially hailing the meat debacle as a triumph for kosher because sales are up. Thoughts?" yes - it semms that they were merely reporting a phenomenon "hailing" and "triumph" are attitudes more a product of the blogger than the original piece - why does everyone feel the need to "spin" these things ad nauseum? “They’re essentially hailing the meat debacle as a triumph for kosher because sales are up. Thoughts?”

yes - it semms that they were merely reporting a phenomenon “hailing” and “triumph” are attitudes more a product of the blogger than the original piece - why does everyone feel the need to “spin” these things ad nauseum?

]]> By: Jonathan Bloom http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4633 Jonathan Bloom Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:42:32 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4633 Thanks for that insight, Jeff. My thought on the kosher industry's take: Wasting 143 million pounds of beef, no matter how traif or mass-produced, is a victory for anyone. I appreciate Leah's post and the sentiment--what a waste! Even though I blog about wasted food daily, this was a shock to me. I imagine, to answer Jeff's question, the reason it received so much attention is because we have just about no idea what happens inside a slaughterhouse. We don't want to know. (Of course, the fact that the Hallmark case was the largest beef recall in US history didn't hurt its chances of being made into a big deal) Here's my take on the affair, minus Leah's interesting Bal Tashchit perspective (kudos!): http://www.wastedfood.com/2008/02/19/beef-with-the-recall/ Thanks for that insight, Jeff. My thought on the kosher industry’s take: Wasting 143 million pounds of beef, no matter how traif or mass-produced, is a victory for anyone.

I appreciate Leah’s post and the sentiment–what a waste! Even though I blog about wasted food daily, this was a shock to me. I imagine, to answer Jeff’s question, the reason it received so much attention is because we have just about no idea what happens inside a slaughterhouse. We don’t want to know. (Of course, the fact that the Hallmark case was the largest beef recall in US history didn’t hurt its chances of being made into a big deal)

Here’s my take on the affair, minus Leah’s interesting Bal Tashchit perspective (kudos!): http://www.wastedfood.com/2008.....he-recall/

]]> By: Jeff Yoskowitz http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4631 Jeff Yoskowitz Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:06:51 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4631 Sorry, that's http://divcom-kosher.informz.net/divcom-kosher/archives/archive_261521.html Sorry, that’s http://divcom-kosher.informz.n.....61521.html

]]> By: Jeff Yoskowitz http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4630 Jeff Yoskowitz Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:03:51 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4630 Here's how the Kosher industry is responding to the recall: http://divcom-kosher.informz.net/divcom-kosher/archives/archive_261521.html. It's the first paragraph after the overview. They're essentially hailing the meat debacle as a triumph for kosher because sales are up. Thoughts? Here’s how the Kosher industry is responding to the recall: http://divcom-kosher.informz.n.....1521.html. It’s the first paragraph after the overview. They’re essentially hailing the meat debacle as a triumph for kosher because sales are up. Thoughts?

]]> By: Jeff Yoskowitz http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4629 Jeff Yoskowitz Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:28:34 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4629 KRG and Leah, I very much agree with you both. Thanks for the post and the comments. Watching the video online was interesting for me because taking sickly pigs and pigs with broken limbs to slaughter is common practice on the industrial pork farm at which I'm working. I feel very desensitized to it all. I've personally escorted pigs with broken legs to the abattoir (like the cow in the video that had broken legs). There aren't really Israeli standards to follow because the government doesn't really deal with pig farming but the kibbutz takes its cues from America and Europe. This of course makes me wonder why the Hallmark case is made into such a big deal when there's a pretty great chance most slaughterhouses in the US are doing the same thing? I'd like to believe that hopefully we'll be able to stop companies from taking sick cows to slaughter but they problem is a systemic one and it's the very industrial system that is breeding sick animals. I foresee many more recalls in the near future. KRG and Leah, I very much agree with you both. Thanks for the post and the comments. Watching the video online was interesting for me because taking sickly pigs and pigs with broken limbs to slaughter is common practice on the industrial pork farm at which I’m working. I feel very desensitized to it all. I’ve personally escorted pigs with broken legs to the abattoir (like the cow in the video that had broken legs). There aren’t really Israeli standards to follow because the government doesn’t really deal with pig farming but the kibbutz takes its cues from America and Europe. This of course makes me wonder why the Hallmark case is made into such a big deal when there’s a pretty great chance most slaughterhouses in the US are doing the same thing? I’d like to believe that hopefully we’ll be able to stop companies from taking sick cows to slaughter but they problem is a systemic one and it’s the very industrial system that is breeding sick animals. I foresee many more recalls in the near future.

]]> By: Leah Koenig http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4626 Leah Koenig Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:00:38 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4626 KRG - thanks for pointing out that the recall was mostly symbolic. You're right As for your assertion that "the waste needs to be trimmed at the front," we agree on that point more than you might think. I still believe that it's an absolute shame that 143 mil pounds of meat/animal's lives got wasted, but the more distressing thing - as I pointed out in my post - is that our society eats so much meat in the first place as to necessitate this type of vulnerable, wasteful industrial meat processing. KRG - thanks for pointing out that the recall was mostly symbolic. You’re right

As for your assertion that “the waste needs to be trimmed at the front,” we agree on that point more than you might think.

I still believe that it’s an absolute shame that 143 mil pounds of meat/animal’s lives got wasted, but the more distressing thing - as I pointed out in my post - is that our society eats so much meat in the first place as to necessitate this type of vulnerable, wasteful industrial meat processing.

]]> By: KRG http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4625 KRG Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:57:37 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4625 Actually, according to the article I saw cf. Consumerist, the understanding is that most of this meat has already been consumed, and that the recall is largely symbolic. As to whether or not the meat is actually contaminated... well, ;et's be clear here, if some of these cows have mad cow disease we're talking about meat that can't be made untainted by any level of cooking - even by reducing it to actual ash, which causes an incurable degenerative disease, whose symptoms won't be seen for decades, and which can possibly be induced by quite small amounts of meat - indeed, it only takes one prion- and gave that meat to schoolchildren. Bal taschit is definitely a principle to call on, but post hoc is rather stupid. The waste needs to be trimmed at the front - by serving school kids healthier meals with less (or no) meat. And the same for the rest of us, of course. Actually, according to the article I saw cf. Consumerist, the understanding is that most of this meat has already been consumed, and that the recall is largely symbolic. As to whether or not the meat is actually contaminated… well, ;et’s be clear here, if some of these cows have mad cow disease we’re talking about meat that can’t be made untainted by any level of cooking - even by reducing it to actual ash, which causes an incurable degenerative disease, whose symptoms won’t be seen for decades, and which can possibly be induced by quite small amounts of meat - indeed, it only takes one prion- and gave that meat to schoolchildren.
Bal taschit is definitely a principle to call on, but post hoc is rather stupid. The waste needs to be trimmed at the front - by serving school kids healthier meals with less (or no) meat. And the same for the rest of us, of course.

]]> By: Leah Koenig http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4624 Leah Koenig Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:06:29 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/wasted-meat-is-such-a-downer/#comment-4624 an updated response from schools and restaurants: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080218/ap_on_bi_ge/slaughterhouse_abuse an updated response from schools and restaurants:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ouse_abuse

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