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Studies reveal safety issues, flaws in meatpacking industry

Many meat products often include countless preservatives while also being produced in inhumane and unsustainable ways.
Many meat products often include countless preservatives while also being produced in inhumane and unsustainable ways.
Fatima Tabet

Never before has meat been so cheap to buy, while exacting such a high price to sell. In 2022 alone, the USDA found that more than 220 pounds of meat were produced for every single human in the U.S. However, there are many issues with the meat industry, from hazardous (sometimes deadly) working conditions and environmental impacts, to the high chance of harmful substances like fecal matter being found in products. As a result, the U.S. government should start doing more to improve meatpacking conditions and make sure meat is safe for consumption.

It is common knowledge that meatpacking is not a glamorous job. In 2015, there was an average of roughly 73 reported cases of nonfatal illnesses or injuries sustained by members of the meatpacking industry while working every day. Meatpackers may also face tears, strains, sprains, fractures, cuts, lacerations, carpal tunnel syndrome and more. Additionally, from 2011 to 2015, 73 workers died while on the job. The U.S. government cannot ignore these issues.

The environment has been negatively impacted by America’s meat consumption. “Eating meat produces lots of greenhouse gasses, from the animals themselves, to forests that are cut down for farmland,” Biology teacher Allison Adams said. Not only that but manure spills present a massive threat to the environment. The so-called “lagoons” where animal manure is stored, sometimes leak or have their contents washed away by natural disasters, resulting in the manure polluting nearby streams and the ground and killing fish because of its ammonia content. In addition, manure can even kill plants when it is found in large enough quantities. To tackle this issue, the government should impose heavy fines on the owners of leaking lagoons, encouraging them to turn to other forms of waste storage.

All meat eaters have their safety threatened because of the way the current meat industry operates. For example, 50 percent of all chicken products contain fecal matter [manure]. Also, due to the way meatpackers slaughter hundreds of animals an hour, some animal organs are torn. The organ contents are splattered all over the body and other animals, resulting in the contamination of a number of carcasses. Moreover, pigs and chickens are put into communal tanks to de-skin or de-feather their carcasses, allowing feces to spread further.

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People who eat contaminated meat are at risk of getting a food borne illness such as listeria or E. coli. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 3,000 people die every year due to these illnesses. Recently, it was revealed that even a Boar’s Head factory in Virginia was producing meat contaminated with listeria, yet another reminder that food borne illnesses are still posing a threat to our health.

Given the seriousness of these issues, it is important to broadcast them more broadly to promote consumer awareness. “[I] did not know… it was a big problem,” freshman Jacob Anderkoo said. In addition, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine sued the USDA over the agency ignoring concerns about contaminated chicken in 2019. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine expressed concern that this large federal agency is not giving enough attention to the problems surrounding the meat industry. While this nonprofit is known for advocating vegetarianism and thus might have other incentives for attacking the meat industry, there’s no doubt that the U.S. government can do more in terms of ramping up inspections of meat packing plants and educating consumers about the best ways to prep and handle meat products.

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