Fast Food Nation Chapter 9

o Compared with several decades ago, how common are food-related illnesses today?
Food-related illnesses have a huge impact on people. 200,000 people are sickened by a foodborne disease. More than a quarter of the American population suffers from a foodborne disease. It has risen the past few decades.
o How has the centralization of food production influenced the spread of food-related illnesses?
The centralization of food production influenced the spread of food-related illnesses is that McDonald's meat is all the same. A single hamburger patty could be from a hundred different cows, which are shipped all over the world. So, some of the tainted meat would be shipped to different chains, selling their tainted meat.
o What authority does the U.S. Government have to demand the recall of tainted meat?
The U.S. Government has almost no power to shut down a meatpacking company to remove contaminated , ground beef. Meatpacking is made by close ties to Republican members in Congress.
o What are most of the microbes in meat spread by?
Fecal material, like #2 as some people would say, is contaminated into the meat.
o What was the first national hamburger chain & what did it do to try to change the image of the hamburger?
White Castle was the first national hamburger chain. And that was in the 1920's, and people could live off those burgers. McDonalds was unheard of in the 50's. McDonalds hamburgers were ideall food for small children, because it has finger food and it was easy to chew.
o What are the effects of E. coli 0157:H7 on the human body?
THe effects of E. Coli on the human body is by abdominal cramps, watery, bloody diarrhea. It is sometimes accompained by a low fever and vomiting.
o What are some of the ways people can be infected with E. coli 0157:H7?
Some ways that E. Coli came into the body was by Shiga toxins enter the bloodstream, and the cause Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which leads to kidney failure, anemia, internal bleeding, and strokes. Those cases are about 4% of all the confirmed reports. A kidney infection is seen as a base for E. Coli. Most cases are contamineted by undercooked ground beef.
o What kinds of things are fed to cattle, things that might facilitate the spread of pathogens?
Things that are fed to cattle that might facilitate the spread of pahtogens are sprouts, salad greens, cantaloupe, salami, rew milk, and unpasteurized apple cider. THey might have come intact by feces of deer, dogs, horses, and flies.
o How does the risk of contamination for ground beef compare with the risk of contamination of whole cuts of beef?
There are thousands of cows in a single piece of ground beef. If thousands of cows are in a single piece of ground beef, can be transported throughout the country. Contamination for a whole part of beef would be centralized, and you'd know where it is going.
o Why is the author concerned about the use of older dairy cattle to make ground beef?
Older dairy cattle are ceceptible to carry pathogens. Even more cows would be prone to get more and more pathogens.
o How has the meatpacking industry generally responded to health concerns about the nation's beef?
The meatpacking industry respond to health concerns about the nation beef for various reasons. The meatpacking companies that deny any responsibility for what happended, and they say there is never any reason to be concerned about the cattles health.
o What was the Streamlined Inspection System launched by the USDA?
The Streamlined Inspection System launched by the USDA was an attempt to maximize the inspection process through which the meat plants had the ability to inspect their own meat. Instead of using an opposed outside force to do it themselves.
o How did the Jack In The Box restaurant chain respond to its outbreak of salmonella?
The Jack in the Box restaurant chain responded to this outbreak by actually having a new outlook on food safety. Jack in the Box became the first of all the other fast food chains to begin to buy meat only from the two meat processing plants that were considered to be most safe.
o What criticisms does the author have of the current recall system for tainted meat?
Schlosser criticized the current recall system for tainted meat because the U.S. government cannot exercise any control or make any recall on their own. The meat packing companies have no obligation to inform the general public of the recall, basically keeping the public out on what was happening. This could possibly lead to E. Coli, and puts the general population at risk for future contaminations.
o What are the advantages and disadvantages of irradiating meat?
The advantage of irradiating meat it kills off all the bacteria in the meat. With every good solution, there is always a disadvantage. A disadvantage to the process is that the companies could potentially ignore sanitation ignorantly believing that the irradiating ability will leave no chance of infection.
o What kind of meat is selected for consumption in public schools?
The meat that is selected and bought for public schools is the more commonly found and cheaper meat. Meat, that really isn't meat, but cheap meat that they can sell for two dollars a burger.