Comments on: Michael Moss on the Surge of E. Coli Outbreaks http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/10/michael-moss-on-the-surge-of-e-coli-outbreaks On Point is a live, two-hour morning news-analysis program, produced by WBUR 90.9 and NPR. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:43:51 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Patricia http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/10/michael-moss-on-the-surge-of-e-coli-outbreaks/comment-page-1#comment-29818 Patricia Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:25:16 +0000 http://www.onpointradio.org/?p=15313#comment-29818 I am a vegetarian and animal advocate. I have read many articles and books on the damage cattle raising in particular has caused to the planet and our health. While I listened to this show, I found myself shouting at the radio a few times. When are Americans going to wake up? What frightens me the most is that you can tell Americans until you are blue in the face about all the dangers they face eating meat and as if in a trance, they continue with this toxic and dangerous practice. Meat from cloned cows in the market place does not sway them, neither does mad cow disease, e-coli, feces in hamburger or the death of loved ones from eating animals. Treating animals inhumanely does not even move most Americans. I also felt outraged when one of the guests on this show referred to cows as "raw material" and another statement that reflects ignorance was "transforming animals into food." What is this the era of cavemen? While I am not writing this to tout the virtues of a vegetarian diet, having been a longtime vegetarian, I can say that I have not sacrificed taste or pleasure from the food that I eat. Tofu and beans taste delicious if you know how to cook. Oh, and by the way, the grassfed cow argument does not bode well either. With the amount of meat consumed in the U.S., there is not enough land to feed Americans with grassfed cattle, unless of course, you want to destroy all the forests we have left. Patricia Washington State I am a vegetarian and animal advocate. I have read many articles and books on the damage cattle raising in particular has caused to the planet and our health. While I listened to this show, I found myself shouting at the radio a few times. When are Americans going to wake up?

What frightens me the most is that you can tell Americans until you are blue in the face about all the dangers they face eating meat and as if in a trance, they continue with this toxic and dangerous practice.

Meat from cloned cows in the market place does not sway them, neither does mad cow disease, e-coli, feces in hamburger or the death of loved ones from eating animals. Treating animals inhumanely does not even move most Americans.

I also felt outraged when one of the guests on this show referred to cows as “raw material” and another statement that reflects ignorance was “transforming animals into food.” What is this the era of cavemen?

While I am not writing this to tout the virtues of a vegetarian diet, having been a longtime vegetarian, I can say that I have not sacrificed taste or pleasure from the food that I eat. Tofu and beans taste delicious if you know how to cook.

Oh, and by the way, the grassfed cow argument does not bode well either. With the amount of meat consumed in the U.S., there is not enough land to feed Americans with grassfed cattle, unless of course, you want to destroy all the forests we have left.

Patricia
Washington State

]]> By: Devora Kimelman-Block http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/10/michael-moss-on-the-surge-of-e-coli-outbreaks/comment-page-1#comment-29589 Devora Kimelman-Block Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:14:58 +0000 http://www.onpointradio.org/?p=15313#comment-29589 Interesting that you say that it is a change in the type of corn fed to the cattle. Isn't it true that the cause is that they are corn fed at all? Feedlot grain (corn) based feed makes the animals more acidic which in turn makes the E. coli more acid resistant so that the acids in our stomachs can't combat it. If you want to have safer meat, you need to eat grassfed meat. Have you seen this study and what do you think of it? Russell, J. B., F. Diez-Gonzalez, and G. N. Jarvis. "Potential Effect of Cattle Diets on the Transmission of Pathogenic Escherichia Coli to Humans" Microbes Infect 2, no. 1 (2000): 45-53. Interesting that you say that it is a change in the type of corn fed to the cattle. Isn’t it true that the cause is that they are corn fed at all? Feedlot grain (corn) based feed makes the animals more acidic which in turn makes the E. coli more acid resistant so that the acids in our stomachs can’t combat it. If you want to have safer meat, you need to eat grassfed meat.

Have you seen this study and what do you think of it?

Russell, J. B., F. Diez-Gonzalez, and G. N. Jarvis. “Potential Effect of Cattle Diets on the Transmission of Pathogenic Escherichia Coli to Humans” Microbes Infect 2, no. 1 (2000): 45-53.

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