Summary: The U.S. government is going to ban ground beef infected with six types of E. coli bacteria from being sold because they can cause severe cases of food-borne illness. The CFI (Center for Food-borne Illness Research and Prevention), says that this will be a "huge preventative step" to keep bacteria out of the food supply. However, the American Meat Institute opposed the action because it said that few sicknesses in the U.S. are caused by the six bacteria. The AMI also said that it would be better for the USDA to work on reducing occurrence of the bacteria by researching technology, rather than spending millions of federal and industry dollars (which will translate to taxpayers and consumers). However, the CFI insists that the decision is going to have a huge impact on public health and "should result in fewer recalls, fewer illnesses, and fewer deaths from food-borne illness."
Critique: Our country is already in a lot of debt and this is going to make more. However, I think it will save lives. Ultimately, I think that saving lives is more important.
Impact: The impact of this decision isn't for sure. Some people say it won't make much of a difference, and others say that this new step will save lives. Either way, it's going to cost taxpayers and consumers a big chunk of change.
What It's Like to Suffer From E. Coli: She Ate a Tainted Salad
Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/13/government-to-ban-6-types-e-coli-from-ground-beef/
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