Pink Goo and Bute

The very day I posted regarding Horse Meat, the media started reporting that instead of wasting food, a German minister had said “it should be given to the poor”

While I agree that good food should not be wasted, not least because of the environmental costs, the real reason this “Food” is being thrown away is that it is not fit for human consumption.

If it had just been a case of mislabelling, then I would not personally have any issue with eating the food myself, even if I were playing a lottery of; Is it Beef or Horse? But this substitution has come from dubious sources and may not be legally fit for human consumption. Be that because of disease or chemicals from veterinary treatments.

Therefore this was not food fit to eat. So feeding this Crap to the poor would be adding insult to injury. As it was the major Retailers and Food Processors insisting on products being made at a price where no one can make them from decent ingredients at these prices.

The supermarkets have shot themselves in the foot over this as the public just do not believe their claims any more. They, the supermarkets, are playing a blame game at the moment and are now saying they will source from closer to home. It gives me a Deja vu feeling, all over again to hear that. They have been saying they would do time after time, in fact every time an issue comes to light.

However there could be other issues that are yet to come to light here. As the reassurances from government(s) remind me of the other major “Substitution to reduce Costs” issue; That of BSE. Long before BSE even emerged, I read a book that spoke of the issue of animal protein going into cattle feed. As they pointed out this was the meat and animals that were unfit for human food and they even said the most frequent of the fallen stock that was going into this was sheep suffering from Scrapie. This was back in 1977 and made me decide to become a vegetarian. I remained one for 25 years too, until sectors of farming started producing and selling meat that was not fed on crap and could prove it too.

So the reassurances made by Government and the food industry, ring rather dull. As we do not know for how long this has been going on, as no one was actually looking. It remains true that had not the Irish Food Standards people carrying out a thought experiment where they would try to think like a criminal that this came to light. As the standard tests would not have revealed this adulteration. Hence the equine veterinary compounds were never looked for until this came to light. So it could be and is even likely that chemicals that are banned from human food has been eaten by the people least able to refuse.

Add to these empty reassurances are criticisms made of European Union policies. Particularly the ban that was introduced, in regard to the DSM Desinewed Meat or Pink Goo. As it has emerged that some are getting around the ban by using other methods to continue to produce this rubbish and by calling it 3mm mince or Baader meat (named after the machine that is used to produce this rubbish). This looks more like a few trying to find loopholes and do more of the same. Even though Europe banned Pink Goo for heath reasons.

If the supermarkets had been buying on short supply chains, then none of this would have happened. Government has a very important role here in making these retail giants provide good nutrition for all and not just those that can afford it.

Stop the scapegoating and get to grip with real issues.