Where were the USDA inspectors? By Henry Lamb The biggest meat
recall in the history of the world topped the domestic news last
week: 143-million pounds of beef, processed over the last two
years, now scattered throughout the nation's schools and fast-
food joints - all recalled. The USDA had little choice. An
animal rights group released videotape of "downer" cows being
pushed around by a fork lift, and being dragged across filthy
floors, before joining healthy cows on the hamburger highway.
The big question raised by everyone is, where were the USDA
inspectors? Food safety is the most important responsibility of
the USDA. The problem at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing
Company in Chino, California, occurred two years ago. Had the
secret video never appeared, the meat would have never been
recalled. Why can the public not depend upon the USDA to keep
the food safe during the processing operation? The USDA has
misplaced priorities. For the last several years, the top
priority at the USDA has not been food sa