Meat Safety: A Huge Step in the Wrong Direction

A December 2001 ruling by a federal Court of Appeals now limits the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ability to close down a meat processing plant solely because the plant failed to meet limits on Salmonella contamination. The court ruled in favor of Supreme Beef Processors, Inc., a company that had failed three tests over several years, claiming the presence of Salmonella is not a measure of a plant’s sanitary condition. The USDA asserts, however, that Salmonella serve as a signal