September 23, 2004
Which beef is safer?
Here is a question to ask yourself if you happen to be Japanese: Which beef would you rather buy, that imported from the United States or that from domestically raised cattle? It seems like an easy question, but before settling on an answer consider some (or all if you can find them) of the facts of the situation.
First, it is indeed true that the U.S. does not test every cattle (all 35 million per year) slaughtered for consumption as does Japan. Thus, it is conceivable that a diseased animal could find its way into the food supply.
It is also true that the U.S. does not have an accurate system for determining the age (and place of origin) of a cow as do the Japanese. Thus, even though Japan has agreed to reopen imports of cattle 20 months and under, the United States has no way of being certain how old an animal is, and this increases the risk in the eyes of some.
From this, it would seem that Japanese beef would be the safer bet since all of its animals are tested past the age where symptoms of the disease are believed to be detectable.
On the other hand, Japan is the only nation in the Asia Pacific region to have turned up a case of BSE. And, it recently discovered its 13th case in three years, all of which were from domestic cattle. Compare this with the United States, with only one confirmed case of BSE, and that from a cow originating in Canada.
This isn’t intended to be a mindless defense of the U.S. beef industry. Testing every single animal in the United States may indeed find a dozen or more infected animals. Thus far however, there seems to be little reason to worry about the safety of U.S. beef just because of one cow. Don't beleive it? Recall the Japanese government's response to the discovery of its first mad cow back in September 2001.
"Milk, meat and dairy products are 100 percent safe," said former Agriculture Minster Tsutomu Takabe, seen to the right in the above photo (The other man in the photo is Chikara Sakaguchi, Health Minister at the time).
"Very good! Very tender," said former Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa as he and other members of the cabinet put on a dog and pony show for the press, chomping down on domestically raised beef to ensure the public of its safety.
That was three years and thirteen dead cows ago.
But maybe the Japanese government is more trustworthy than a foreign government? Well, the beef that Takabe and Shiokawa were eating had been tested for BSE beforehand according to dietman and the event's sponsor Naoto Kitamura. Clearly lawmakers didn't trust the safety of the beef even as they encouraged Japanese consumers to continue eating it. Yet these are the kind of men that are now looking out to protect Japanese consumers from dangerous foreign beef?
Furthermore, although every animal is said to be tested, before criticizing the United States’ policy too harshly, or trusting the Japanese policy too hastily, one might do well to remember the how effectively the Japanese government screened the nation’s blood supply for the AIDS virus back in the 1980s. If that doesn’t hit close enough to home, consider the Yukijirushi (Snow Brand) beef scandal that erupted following the last BSE scare in Japan. (That company’s second, and final, scandal one might note.)
True, there are a number of sides to this arguement, and they have not all been fairly or adequately addressed here. And, concern over food safety among Japanese consumers is certainly understandable and sometimes justifiable. But other motives underly the food safety issue in this case.
First, it is indeed true that the U.S. does not test every cattle (all 35 million per year) slaughtered for consumption as does Japan. Thus, it is conceivable that a diseased animal could find its way into the food supply.
It is also true that the U.S. does not have an accurate system for determining the age (and place of origin) of a cow as do the Japanese. Thus, even though Japan has agreed to reopen imports of cattle 20 months and under, the United States has no way of being certain how old an animal is, and this increases the risk in the eyes of some.
From this, it would seem that Japanese beef would be the safer bet since all of its animals are tested past the age where symptoms of the disease are believed to be detectable.
On the other hand, Japan is the only nation in the Asia Pacific region to have turned up a case of BSE. And, it recently discovered its 13th case in three years, all of which were from domestic cattle. Compare this with the United States, with only one confirmed case of BSE, and that from a cow originating in Canada.
This isn’t intended to be a mindless defense of the U.S. beef industry. Testing every single animal in the United States may indeed find a dozen or more infected animals. Thus far however, there seems to be little reason to worry about the safety of U.S. beef just because of one cow. Don't beleive it? Recall the Japanese government's response to the discovery of its first mad cow back in September 2001.
"Milk, meat and dairy products are 100 percent safe," said former Agriculture Minster Tsutomu Takabe, seen to the right in the above photo (The other man in the photo is Chikara Sakaguchi, Health Minister at the time).
"Very good! Very tender," said former Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa as he and other members of the cabinet put on a dog and pony show for the press, chomping down on domestically raised beef to ensure the public of its safety.
That was three years and thirteen dead cows ago.
But maybe the Japanese government is more trustworthy than a foreign government? Well, the beef that Takabe and Shiokawa were eating had been tested for BSE beforehand according to dietman and the event's sponsor Naoto Kitamura. Clearly lawmakers didn't trust the safety of the beef even as they encouraged Japanese consumers to continue eating it. Yet these are the kind of men that are now looking out to protect Japanese consumers from dangerous foreign beef?
Furthermore, although every animal is said to be tested, before criticizing the United States’ policy too harshly, or trusting the Japanese policy too hastily, one might do well to remember the how effectively the Japanese government screened the nation’s blood supply for the AIDS virus back in the 1980s. If that doesn’t hit close enough to home, consider the Yukijirushi (Snow Brand) beef scandal that erupted following the last BSE scare in Japan. (That company’s second, and final, scandal one might note.)
True, there are a number of sides to this arguement, and they have not all been fairly or adequately addressed here. And, concern over food safety among Japanese consumers is certainly understandable and sometimes justifiable. But other motives underly the food safety issue in this case.
# posted by Saru : 4:30 PM
