"john" wrote in message
...


I bet we all ate cat at one time or another if we ate chinese. I remember
a chinese restruant in Journal Square, NJ that was paying kids 25 cents
per cat back in the late fifties.

You *eat* in Journal Square? I try not to breathe there. d8-)

There also was the Chinese restaurant over near Somerville that was cited
for using roadkilled venison, and that was only a few years ago.


And Ed, do you remember Merkel Meats, that horsemeat tasted pretty good.

Some people think very highly of horsemeat. But then, I used to like
'possum, too, and I still think my _Gourmet_ magazine recipe for groundhog
in sour cream can't be beat.

I'm really not prejudiced against particular species. It's just what's done
to them.

How about hiring more government inspectors? Nah, the government can't do
anything right. 'Better to just take our chances and let the market work
it out.


The problem that I see is the the system has become corrupted by political
pressure from the big corps. Heavier penalties for gross misconduct and
more people enforcing the laws.

I'm for that.


I agree that there should be federal inspectors in the process but things
have changed drasticly in the last 20 or so years. The number of
inspectors had diminished and with more importation of food products we
are left hanging out to the whims of the food packers.

FWIW, I think that reducing the number of food inspectors is a very bad
idea. I also am wary of all of the fresh food we're importing, although that
one certainly is a losing battle. I'm shooting for increasing my percentage
of locally grown food this year, and it's not that tough to do.

We know from experience, before the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act,
how things are driven by unregulated market forces. It's deadly. I can't
accept the idea that we can't have vastly improved food inspection, nor do I
believe consumers would fight the extra costs by lobbying to reduce
inspections.

In any case, it can't cost more than the present effects of using corn to
produce ethanol. Have you priced corn on the commodity markets lately? Holy
cow.

Some industries have a good inspection program but even with the
inspection programs things slip through the cracks. It does seem though
fot that much meat to be contaminated, there was a gross on going failure
in the inspection at Topps.


John

Something is screwy about that whole thing. I think there will be more to be
heard about that story.

--
Ed Huntress