The Extreme Expansion Of The Meat Industry - 1317 Words

Today the industries are now dominated by a handful of huge corporations that process most of the country’s meat at several facilities across the country. As of 2007, four huge companies controlled the processing of over 80% of the country’s beef and three of these same companies process over 60% of the country’s pork. Chicken processing provides over half the country’s chicken supply and even the same situation exists for turkey meat. These four major companies are Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and Smithfield Foods. As a result of all, meatpacking companies have become increasingly powerful, while the government bodies that regulate them have done barely anything to keep them in line. The extreme expansion of the meat industry has accompanied the†¦show more content†¦We do not want another family to have to suffer as our family did.† Other diseases like Salmonella and Campylobacter can also be introduced. In addition to these food safety risks, the use of hazardous machinery and sharp knives can injure workers when mistakes are made. This danger is exacerbated by the increasingly rapid speeds at which workers are expected to slaughter and process animals. This can also cause AIDS and HIV when they come in contact with our foods, if workers get injured while processing meats. The Federal health authorities have estimated that foodborne diseases affect 1 in 6 Americans, which is over 48 million people. These diseases cause 128,000 hospitalizations and kill 3,000 Americans every year. Likewise, a number of studies have confirmed the presence of harmful bacteria in meat, in the US. (put in examples) (each of the sections at least one time but you can do more) (in text citations) These levels are unacceptable; the high levels of contamination are caused by the crowded conditions in which conventional food animals are raised, as well as the high speed at which meat is processed. In order to lower profits, meat processors have continually increased the speed of their production lines. Twenty years ago, meatpacking plants slaughtered about 175 cattle an hour, but due to increased line speeds, today plants can slaughter as many as 400 cattle per hour. In order to ensure the