The Selection And Purchase Of Beef Essay

The beef industry is an important asset to United States agriculture as a whole. Over a million agricultural entities benefited from the sales of cattle and calves in the year 2000. Gross totals from sales of cattle and calves in 2000 totaled $40.76 billion accounting of 21% of all agricultural receipts making the beef sector the largest single agricultural enterprise. Direct and indirect employment in or related to the production and processing of beef supports over 1.4 million full-time-equivalent jobs in the US as well. Cattle are produced in all 50 states and their economic impact contributes to nearly every county in the nation and they are a significant economic driver (Lawerance and Otto, 2000).

Do you really know what is in your meat? What about what happens to the meat after it is slaughtered? Fortunately, the conditions have gotten much better throughout the years. But many years ago, in the early 1900s meat consumers bought spoiled and rat infested hams that were produced by the meat industries. Nowadays, the meat industry has improved to a certain extent. Today, about 80% of all U.S. feedlots are injected with hormones (Lerner). Americans should know what they are eating. This is important in the meat industry because they are the producers of all the meat that we eat. The meat industry has improved and is much better than the 1900s, but still not at as ideal as everyone thinks it really is.

More than ever before, our planet is one filled with meat eaters. In fact, the average American consumes 270.7 pounds of meat per year. And, as one might have guessed, the question of where this food set before them on the table came from is often unregarded or ignored altogether. As more media forms commercialize extremely unhealthy versions of double cheeseburgers and meat lover’s supremes, the consumer’s demand for meat spikes up and companies in the food industry are faced with the ethical dilemma of benefiting themselves, their companies, increasing profits...and doing right by the animals- who without, they would not even be where they are today. Needless to say that animal rights and the humane treatment of their precious lives have been disregarded. Why do we, as a

The demand for beef was caused by the expeditious growth of fast food restaurants in a short amount of time. Over the past several decades of the industrialization of food, most Americans have resorted to eating mainly processed foods, including beef and products that are derived from cows’ milk. These products were made to become appealing through countless advertisements, many of which exaggerated their health benefits and tried to bring a shot of sex appeal to their

     In the early twentieth century, at the height of the progressive movement, “Muckrakers” had uncovered many scandals and wrong doings in America, but none as big the scandals of Americas meatpacking industry. Rights and responsibilities were blatantly ignored by the industry in an attempt to turn out as much profit as possible. The meat packers did not care if poor working conditions led to sickness and death. They also did not care if the spoiled meat they sold was killing people. The following paper will discuss the many ways that rights and responsibilities were not being fulfilled by the meat packing industry.

Would you do anything to keep your family together? The novel Bastard out of Carolina, written by Dorothy Allison, reveals the early life of the main character, Bone. Born an illegitimate child, Bone grew up being physically and sexually abused by her step-father. The novel My Year of Meats, written by Ruth L. Ozeki, showcases the behind-the-scenes story of a reality television show, My American Wife. The show was produced by BEEF-EX, a meat company. The show was created to “create a new truism: The wife who serves meat has a kinder, gentler mate” (Allison 13). Although the novels may seem to be completely different, they both have a strong theme of family. Characters in both novels are not only forced to make decisions that affect themselves and their families, but they also make decisions based on their families’ opinions. The main characters in both novels have hidden the truth to protect their families, but they both received different outcomes.

The Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was an attempt to regulate the meatpacking industry and to assure consumers that the meat they were eating was safe. In brief, this act made compulsory the careful inspection of meat before its consummation, established sanitary standards for slaughterhouses and processing plants, and required continuous U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection of meat processing and packaging. Yet, the most important objectives set by the law are the prevention of adulterated or misbranded livestock and products from being commercialized and sold as food, and the making sure that meat and all its products are processed and prepared in the adequate sanitary and hygienic conditions (Reeves 35). Imported meat and its various

The dependence on meat and meat products in the United States is at an all-time high. Despite the great need for healthy and ethical meat, the procedures in meatpacking facilities have not been improved much in the past century. In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser outlines some of the most important facts and realities facing slaughterhouse workers today. The problems with the food can be fixed with chemicals and the like, but the value of human life cannot be improved without the influence of government actions. There are still such injustices to the workers as sexual harassment, injuries that go unnoticed, and horrific treatment of sanitation workers.

We do not take in consideration on where our meat comes from and how they treat the animals. People do not know how the process is from slaughtering a cow to the meat that you buy in your neighborhood market. In the book Foodopoly, Wenonah Hauter argues that there is a misrepresentation on what truly happens in the meatpacking industry, hog industry, the impact on small farmers, and how the working conditions are for the meat packing industry workers.

Some fast food chains have begun to switch some of their ingredients to be healthier and please more customers. A few that have already changed to 100% fresh beef are Wendy’s, Five Guys, Smashburger, Whataburger, In-N-Out, Shake Shack, Culver’s, and recently joining them is

Many feel that the fast food industry is providing a valuable service by catering to consumer needs; that it is inexpensive and easily accessible. For people who don't have time to prepare meals, for households in which both parents work, there's no question it provides a service. But what is the true cost of this convenience? In the book, Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser reveals that the cost is the lives of the people who work in the meat processing plants. Meat packing is now the most dangerous job in the United States.

The meat industry today is not what it was nearly a century ago. While improvements are thought to have been made, an ever changing society has brought upon new problems that have been piled on to the previously existing ones. While these problems are not like those found in The Jungle, they do parallel how by exposing what is going on in the meat industry; new regulations would be the answer to the noted problems. The increased demand for meat has made it a rushed mutated production instead of a means to raise livestock for consumers. Taking into consideration the demand for cheap meat that will be used for in quick and high demanded products such as frozen and fast food, this demand of meat has greatly skyrocketed. Animals whose sole

Kudler Fine Foods is an upscale specialty food store that is located in the San Diego vicinity. Kudler Fine Foods has three locations in La Jolla, Del Mar, and Encinitas. Each location boasts 8,000 square feet of retail space filled with a fine selection of bakery and pastry products; fresh produce; fresh meat and seafood; condiments and seafood; and cheese and specialty dairy products. Kudler Fine Food is owned by Kathy Kudler who first opened a store on June, 18, 1998, with the aspiration of delivering fine products with excellent customer service.

In recent years, red meat has been controversial because it has been linked to heart disease and cancer. The truth is today’s red meat wasn’t what it has used to be. Those we ate nowadays is vastly different than before. The meat products may have been processed before sale. Regardless of the fact that humans consumed red meat through different methods, many experts still believe that it is more harmful to human body than health aspects. Eating red meat raises the risk of early death. As red meat is high in protein and fats, it can contribute to different kinds of diseases and cancer to our human body. Some people claim that red meat is healthy. However, there are some good reasons that this is not true.

The cattle industry produces vast amounts of strain in the environment. It is energy inefficient, pollutes water, occupies many acres of land, and deteriorates the health of the people who abuse its consumption. The government subsidizes this industry. Therefore, the price paid for meat doesn’t reflect the environmental hazards involved in the process. In order to protect our health and the health of the environment we should pay close attention to our food choices and make sure we don’t support industries that degrade it.