10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

re: 10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

RobCrouse — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 19:37:48 GMT

The meat at Whole Foods and the other health food stores in my area sell meat that isn't organic, but claims to be "Naturally Produced" - free of growth hormones and pesticides. Is this just some kind of deceptive advertising? The SmartMoney article seems to indicate that the "Natural" term is deceptive. I start to get a little forgetful of what I've learned about healthy eating when I look at those $14.69/lb prices on an organic steak.

re: 10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

talldrinkofwater1 — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:01:35 GMT

As a past employee of a cattle feedlot where beef are fed grain to ready the animal for slaughter, I was on ground level in vaccinating and treating these animals. All vaccines, antibiotics, and growth hormones have withdrawl dates. Every person and operation that uses these substances keeps very close records of each animal and everything that they have recieved. All animals are generally way past this withdrawl date and those that have to be slaughtered before the withdrawl date never go into circulation for human consumption. The animals that recieve the vaccines, antibiotics and growth hormones are well past the withdrawl date and therefore their systems have processed and utilized them. These substances are not in their systems anymore, or they could not be used for human consumption, and therefore would not even hit the grocery store shelves.

Richelle Ratzlaff, Lethbridge, Alberta

re: 10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

Russ Bianchi — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 04:12:35 GMT

Folks, though the meat-poultry industries are not as overtly blatant as when Chicago, as the poem suggested, was "hog butcher", or Upton Sinclair wrote: 'The Jungle', in many ways, it is not much better, and perhaps WORSE in the USA.

USDA grading, and ANY certifications, DO NOT PREVENT the liberal and regular use of injection brines for higher yields to bind WATER (and therefore more PROFIT)!

USDA is also cutting back on any screening of downer (Mad Cow) bovine in the human food chain.

FDA and USDA were secretly (and successfully), lobbied several years ago, to stop the ban/pulling from all national supermarket shelves, of a FAMOUS brand of gelatin and pudding, after it was widely discovered mad cow spongiform WAS FOUND in the gelatins being used for that brand & elsewhere.

By the use of cancer causing toxic phosphates, sugars, nitrites, nitrates, modified corn starches, refined corn maltodextrin, refined & modified corn dextrose, potassium nitrates, potassium carbonates, gums, colloids, pectins, gelatins, as well as many other cancer causing preservatives, emulsifiers, binders, polymers, polyols, high intensity sweeteners, salts, spices, masking agents, artificial flavors and fragrances, gas flushing, artificial colors, antifreezing agents, artificial hued packaging or lighting to make them look better in appearance, rerendered lards, hydrogenated oils and fats, MANY sausages, lunch meats, patties, hot dogs, and other reformed, breaded, or tumbled or whole muscle brands, are turned into something that RARELY, or legally, has to be declared, because these 'aids to processing' are allowed, or extremely hidden, in the fine print of their packages!!!

The next time you wander by the prepared poultry, fish or meat sections, or even the fresh meat or specialty gourmet butcher, keep moving, for your own safety, and health!!!

re: 10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

Sean Uisce — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 23:35:11 GMT

If you have broadband, I would highly recommend you take 15 mins and watch The Meatrix movies at... http://www.themeatrix.com

re: 10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

Josh Rubin — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:24:33 GMT

I agree with this article 100%, but at the same time it is up to the consumer to do the research on their own. I shop at an organic market, but when I am traveling I find out about the local markets ahead of time. Then I go research the companies they use to produce their meat. I find out where their lots are, what they feed them, etc.

Most butchers are not butchers and are there just for the paycheck. So, do your research before eating anyting.

re: 10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

Gene C Weber D.C. — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 17:29:16 GMT

The other day I went into a grocery store and wanted some wild salmon. The salmon they had said "organic" on the label. I asked them if it was wild or not and they said that it is "organic". After continued questioning, they admitted that it was farmed. Had I not been aware, I would have consumed some junk fish full of chemicals. lice, etc... Buying organic is really like buying anything else, such as a car. You have to know what you want, research it, and demand the best. If we would put as much effort into buying our food as we do our major purchases, then we would be so much better off. It all comes down to embracing Dr. Mercola's health ideas and taking responsibility for our selves.

re: 10 Things Your Butcher Won't Tell You

LM36 — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:09:06 GMT

You know why this article appeared in Smart Money? Because you'd better be rich to afford the expensive organic meats sold in grocery stores, not to mention buying wild fish. We are a family of four who are stretching every dollar to buy organic. In regards to the processed meats you might as well be ingesting dead animal parts because you are eating what the animal ate. Yet the average American has a cold-cut sandwich daily. Do your colon a favor and have a salad. The processed meats can barely be classified as food.