General Question

GeorgeGee's avatar

Are huge food recalls (like 1/2 billion eggs and a million pounds of ground beef) avoidable?

Asked by GeorgeGee (4935points) August 21st, 2010

It seems obvious to me that if they’d shut down their factories and sterilize everything regularly they’d limit the size of recalls. Why don’t they?
Beef:
http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/2010/08/articles/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/e-coli-outbreak-prompts-million-pound-beef-recall/
eggs:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129342312&ft=1&f=1001

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

5 Answers

marinelife's avatar

Because the people that run American companies are short-term profit -oriented.

Because their profit motive conflicts with a health motive.

Because there are not enough inspectors to make them.

Mephistopheles's avatar

Plus, shit happens and people make mistakes. The best laid schemes o’ mice and men and all that…

kevbo's avatar

It’s avoidable if the food processing system is decentralized. Currently, a handful of major players dominate each processing and distribution chain (and also help write legislation in the name of food safety to create administrative burdens on smaller processors). Read Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal by farmer Joel Salatin.

zenvelo's avatar

they don’t do that because it costs MONEY! these are factory farms. A tip: pay a bit more for non factory food, and don’t eat as much. You’ll be better off in the long run.

Dr_Lawrence's avatar

Corporate greed outweighs concern for human disease, misery and death.

It is cheaper to delay settling claims for years and eventually pay on them than it is to follow the best practices that result in high food safety.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.

This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.

Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther