Food Processing & Slaughterhouses

The drastic expansion of industrial animal production in the US has been accompanied by the rapid consolidation of the meat industry. This industry is now dominated by a handful of huge corporations that process most of the country’s meat at enormous facilities, and consolidation continues to increase. As of 2007, four companies controlled the processing of over 80% of the country’s beef and three of these same companies (along with an additional fourth) process over 60% of the country’s pork. ^FAdditionally, the four major companies in broiler chicken processing provide over half of the country’s chicken supply. The same situation exists for turkey meat. ^F As a result of this concentration, meat packing companies have become increasingly powerful, while the government bodies that regulate them have done little to keep them in line.

When animals are slaughtered and processed (i.e., when the meat is cut up and packaged), several dangerous elements come into play. The first is the presence of fecal matter from slaughtered animals, which can contaminate meat with high levels of bacteria such as E. coli. Other sanitation lapses can also contaminate food, as can animal diseases like Salmonella and Campylobacter. Another food safety hazard is the risk from mad cow disease (a key step to preventing humans from contracting the disease is the proper removal of risky nervous system materials from the beef supply). In addition to these food safety risks, the use of hazardous machinery and sharp knives can injure workers when mistakes are made. This danger is exacerbated by the increasingly rapid speeds at which workers are expected to slaughter and process animals.

Click on Link:

http://www.sustainabletable.org/279/food-processing-slaughterhouses