Comments on: E. Coli? http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/blog/uncategorized/468 What's On Your Plate? the documentary film about kids and food politics... Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:32:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cassie http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/blog/uncategorized/468/comment-page-1#comment-842 Cassie Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:41:01 +0000 http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/blog/?p=468#comment-842 Thanks for writing James. We agree that the issue is complex, and that there are no great solutions to dealing with E. coli infected cattle. Where we differ in opinion is on how to approach the problem of infected meat. Your company, Epitopix, believes the solution is with vaccines against the bacteria. This will most likely decrease the number of cows infected with E. coli and make processed beef safer. Here at WOYP we are of the mind that adding technology to a problem does not solve the original issue. And the issue here is the unsanitary, unsafe, inhumane and unhealthy conditions of factory farming. We need a change in our food system, not more technological fixes. Thanks for writing James.
We agree that the issue is complex, and that there are no great solutions to dealing with E. coli infected cattle.
Where we differ in opinion is on how to approach the problem of infected meat.

Your company, Epitopix, believes the solution is with vaccines against the bacteria. This will most likely decrease the number of cows infected with E. coli and make processed beef safer.

Here at WOYP we are of the mind that adding technology to a problem does not solve the original issue. And the issue here is the unsanitary, unsafe, inhumane and unhealthy conditions of factory farming.

We need a change in our food system, not more technological fixes.

]]> By: James Sandstrom, DVM http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/blog/uncategorized/468/comment-page-1#comment-841 James Sandstrom, DVM Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:47:03 +0000 http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/blog/?p=468#comment-841 Sorry Angelica, your suggestion to check every individual cow would not help solve the problem, for several reasons: 1. Monitoring does not reduce the number of positive cows, or the level of E. coli O157. 2. Even positive cattle do not test positive every day. An individual can be positive on days 1, 3 and 5 and test negative on days 2, 4 and 6. 3. What would be done with the culture-positive cattle, that are rejected from slaughter? Would they be killed and buried? Or treated with antibiotics? Or returned to a quarantine herd of some kind? (None of these are good solutions!) Using the natural immune system of the cattle through vaccination is part of an overall system to reduce E. coli O157 risk to people. It is friendly to animal welfare, the environment, and does not lead to antibiotic resistance or any residues in the meat. Sorry Angelica, your suggestion to check every individual cow would not help solve the problem, for several reasons:
1. Monitoring does not reduce the number of positive cows, or the level of E. coli O157.
2. Even positive cattle do not test positive every day. An individual can be positive on days 1, 3 and 5 and test negative on days 2, 4 and 6.
3. What would be done with the culture-positive cattle, that are rejected from slaughter? Would they be killed and buried? Or treated with antibiotics? Or returned to a quarantine herd of some kind? (None of these are good solutions!)
Using the natural immune system of the cattle through vaccination is part of an overall system to reduce E. coli O157 risk to people. It is friendly to animal welfare, the environment, and does not lead to antibiotic resistance or any residues in the meat.

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