"If the mad cow found in California has you wondering about food safety, well, there are plenty of problems that pose serious risks to the food supply. But mad cow disease shouldn't be high on the worry list."
"Just in the past few months, Americans have been sickened by contaminated sprouts, raw milk and sushi. Thirty people died last year from bacteria-tainted cantaloupe. And when it comes to hamburger, a dangerous strain of E. coli that can lurk in ground beef sickens thousands of people every year.
'What we know is that 3,000 Americans die every year from preventable food-borne illnesses that are not linked' to mad cow disease, said Sarah Klein of the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest. 'Things like E. coli, salmonella — that's where we should be focusing our attention, outrage and policy.'"
Lauran Neergaard reports fr the Associated Press April 25, 2012.
SEE ALSO:
"Mad cow: US 'Confident' Beef Is Safe, Food-Safety Experts Aren't Sure" (Christian Science Monitor)
"Mad Cow Disease: Big Deal Abroad. Us? Not So Much. (+video)" (Christian Science Monitor)
"'Pink Slime': Health Crisis Or Misunderstood Meat Product?" (Christian Science Monitor)
"Mad Cow Disease Case in US Was a 'One-Off' Caused by a Mutation" (Guardian)
"Can You Get Mad Cow Disease From Milk?" (Mother Jones)
"Analysis: U.S. Mad Cow Find: Lucky Break Or Triumph of Science?" (Reuters)
"Farmers at Center of Mad Cow Probe Grumble Over Tainted Image" (Bloomberg)
"Indonesia Halts US Beef Imports Amid Mad Cow Case" (AP)
"U.S. Mad Cow Finding Shows Controls Working, FAO and OIE Say" (Bloomberg)
"Mad Cow Discovery in U.S. Won't Affect Canadian Industry: Officials" (Reuters/Postmedia)
"Ill. Cattle Producer Dismisses Mad Cow Concerns" (Washington Post)
"In the Shadow of Mad Cow Case, U.S. Beef Exports Unfazed" (Reuters)
"Mad Cow Case Won’t Prevent Record Beef Sales: Commodities" (Bloomberg)