Ever seen the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy takes a job at the chocolate factory? She can’t keep up with the line speed and starts desperately eating the chocolates to hide her mistakes.  Similarly- but with a less hilarious outcome- line speeds in slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants have skyrocketed over the last several decades. This gives inspectors less time to thoroughly examine the meat that is being sold to consumers. Additionally, the meat industry, and some in Congress, is pushing for a privatized meat inspection system, where company employees check to make sure the company meat is safe. A bit like the fox guarding the hen house, no?

Meat inspection is paramount to safe food. Consumers need government inspectors to watch over the industry and make sure that dangerous bugs like E. coli and Salmonella don’t contaminate our food. Food & Water Watch advocates for a strong, well-funded government meat inspection system to ensure food safety.