How the USDA welcomed the fox into the hen house
Imagine walking through the supermarket and seeing a package of chicken breasts with the word “UNINSPECTED” stamped on it.
I’m betting there’s no way you’d take that chicken home and serve it to your family.
But, believe it or not, there are millions of pounds of chicken and turkey hitting the market right now that have never been properly inspected for contamination that could make you sick — or kill you.
It’s all thanks to a dangerous new federal rule that puts all of us in harm’s way.
But the good news is that there’s a simple way to tell exactly which chicken and turkey you should be avoiding.
With all the salmonella outbreaks we’ve had over the years, you’d think our government would be getting more serious about inspecting our poultry.
But that’s not what the USDA’s New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) is about at all.
In fact, NPIS actually turns the entire inspection process over to some of the same companies that have caused outbreaks.
Can you believe it?
You see, the old law said that federal USDA meat inspectors would be stationed at poultry plants to look at every single chicken and turkey — and all their parts — after slaughter.
And these USDA inspectors have a lot of authority. They can stop lines and order meat destroyed, obviously something companies don’t like.
But now, with NPIS in effect, processors can boot USDA inspectors right off the production line.
And in their place, company employees are supposed to be looking out for things like abscesses, puss and manure.
But to say these folks are looking out for anything would be generous.
The birds will be whizzing by at a speed of 140 a minute — that’s around three chickens a second — and even that was a compromise!
The original rule called for a line speed of 175 birds per minute. Even Superman couldn’t keep up with that!
This is a giant handout to the poultry industry, plain and simple. I mean, can anyone in their right mind really argue that this will make our food any safer?
Because right now we’re in the midst of a food safety crisis. If anything, the government should be adding more USDA inspectors, not taking the ones we have off the job.
And don’t think that groups and organizations haven’t been trying to stop this. One consumer group, Food & Water Watch, tried a lawsuit, but that got dismissed last year. Another case filed by the federal food inspectors’ union is still pending.
Currently, 41 poultry plants have adopted these NPIS rules, and now we know who they are.
No doubt the industry had hoped it would remain a deep, dark secret, because of all the big names involved. I’m talking about names such as Hillshire, Perdue and Tyson, as well as lesser-known ones like Pitman Farms that sells a product under the brand name of “Mary’s Free Range Turkey.”
Well, I hope Mary is watching those turkeys fly by, because the USDA sure isn’t!
To see all the companies taking advantage of this NPIS system, check out the full Food & Water Watch list here.
I don’t know about you — but I wouldn’t buy any chicken or turkey from anyone on this list. That’ll make shopping a bit harder, but it’ll be well worth the extra effort.
Sources:
“Top chicken brands now inspected by own employees” Food & Water Watch, May 25, 2016, foodandwaterwatch.org
