Shutdown plays chicken with public health as antibiotic-resistant Salmonella outbreak spreads

Wear gloves. Wash hands. Disinfect. FUCK. Do these simple rules of sanitation go away because the government is partially on vacation?

Maybe someone should swab all the equipment with contaminated chicken. That might possibly force these dipshits to pass a damned budget that the President will actually sign.

1 Like

Absolutely not. Hey, I handle large quantities of chicken necks on a regular basis, and always take precautions even when the governmentā€™s in business. But I realize all those precautions are merely reducing the odds Iā€™ll get salmonella. And itā€™s the job of the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA to further reduce those odds.

Iā€™m going to take all the precautions I can. It would be nice, though, to have some help from people whose career it is to try and prevent contaminated chicken from getting to me in the first place.

7 Likes

what the fuck, heavystarch?

Suppose you do your own cooking and you canā€™t wear gloves? Maybe youā€™ve tried, and the things make you so clumsy you cut your hand and drop half the food on the floor?

2 Likes

Crazily enough, that law in question here dates back to the Civil War. Apparently back in the day people would do some trivial job and then bill the government for their services. The Government go so tired of these unsolicited bills that Congress passed a law making it illegal to perform work without an active government contract.

1 Like

It is better to stop an outbreak before it has begun, no?

6 Likes

I stopped eating chicken before this because I was grossed out. This happens to me periodically, I canā€™t really explain it. Have you tried nitrile gloves? They fit pretty snugly and you can get them in different sizes.

2 Likes

How about the fact that the latest outbreak is antibiotic resistant salmonella, do you think the government will make the industry stop the practice of feeding the birds massive amounts of that?

5 Likes

Other than avoiding eating out for the immediate future, and the fact that one of my family members is an USDA inspector, I donā€™t have a dog in this race. Chicken hasnā€™t been on my personal menu in at least 25 years.

There is a bi-partisan bill to end the practice of giving antibiotics to healthy animals, but it will not get to the floor of either the house of senate due to lobbying efforts of the meat industry. One of the NPR talk show hosts did a whole show on this very topic just last week. Very illuminating.

5 Likes

Citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antideficiency_Act

1 Like

So the editorial position here seems to be that we need more government, is that correct? Bear in mind that this is the same government that considers you, personally, individually, to be an enemy of the state. I donā€™t understand how anybody can accept those two positions at the same time.

1 Like

If your brush were any broader you could paint Australia with one swipe.

It is perfectly possible to have a government which does have an effective food safety program and not have an unaccountable, overreaching intelligence agency spying on things. This was the state of affairs for most of the 20th century.

Putting constraints on the NSA would not hamper food safety efforts, and increasing food safety efforts wouldnā€™t make the NSA any more powerful and obnoxious.

13 Likes

Spying is bad, so the FDA, EPA, etc, should be shut down?

Your logic seems to be lacking.

7 Likes

There have been several cases of Salmonella poisoning in foods like spinach, too.

3 Likes

If they died because of government shutdown, it is therefore proven that they were gummint-cheese-eating social parasites, so Iā€™d expect a sociopathic cheer and increased enthusiasm.

1 Like

Spinach is a much worse place to have Salmonella. Chicken gets cooked so even if a lot of it is contaminated the effects are contained to people with poor meat handling practices. Leafy greens are eaten raw though and are difficult to clean thoroughly, so contamination tends to hit a lot of people at once.

1 Like

Hey, private industry will take care of regulating itself. If people donā€™t like getting antibiotic-resistant salmonella, they just wonā€™t buy the product! The Invisible Hand of the Free Market always works.

3 Likes

What is so difficult to understand about a position like ā€œIā€™d like more health inspectors but fewer drone strikes?ā€ Itā€™s not like the Constitution dictates that every dollar spent on something constructive must be matched by an equal or greater amount spent on something destructive.

11 Likes

You may be surprised to learn that humans are not actually perfect, unerring machines.

1 Like

And if someone gets sick, they can take the manufacturer to court!

Only, by opening the package, they agree to binding arbitration. To file a claim for arbitration, report in person to the ChickCo arbitration request office at 2312 Sunrise Plaza Suite A, Salmert Falls, SD, between 12:15 pm and 1:23 pm on Monday. A $25 arbitration request fee applies. NOTE: Consuming ChickCo products may be a violation of your health care providerā€™s Consumption of Dangerous Products agreement. Consumers violating these clauses may not apply for arbitration. Consult your health insurance provider for a list of foods on the Dangerous Products list. List not available in states which have adopted the Business Privacy Enhancement Act of 2017.

4 Likes