Is the U.S. doing everything possible to guard against an epidemic of mad cow disease?
Consumers Union believes the federal government should take added steps to end practices that could undermine the safety of meat. “The U.S. needs to be far more pro-active in protecting the American food supply,” says Mike Hansen, PhD, senior research associate at Consumers Union,, which has been fighting for the following changes for years. ? Screen far more cattle for the disease. The U.S. tested some 370,000 cows between June 1, 2004, and May 31, 2005, out of a total herd of about 97 million, of which 37 million were slaughtered. By contrast, in Europe every single animal above a given age gets tested. * Outlaw the feeding of the remains of any mammal to any animals that humans eat. * Tighten the law on dietary supplements; it currently allows supplements to contain material from the animal parts most likely to contain the mutant protein. * Require doctors and hospitals to report all cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Consumers can find imp
