I strictly avoid the beef and pork, but just because I don't like them. But over the last few years I often am hesitant to buy greens because of similar bacterial outbreaks. Chicken has hormones. Fish could have mercury at some concentration and even ciguatera. Even stuff grown in my yard I worry about because of widespread toxicity in the local soils {I live in Vieques where the science is still not conclusive about the soil, the air and the cancer rate}.
The head of the EPA for the bomb cleanup lives across the street from my office.
His stories about soil quality depress me.
What to do? I am thinking of growing organic in pots of soil imported from the big island. This is a very crazy world.

The big island of Hawaii?

Buy local. Then you know what you're getting. There's nothing like eating something that was picked today.

We only eat grass fed local meat and milk, have done that for a long time. I started that for health reasons, but it looks like we made the right choice.

The amount of dead animal being recalled by these two companies is disturbing and disgusting. A rough estimate indicates it is the equivalent of 15-20,000 cattle, and probably much more. I don't pay attention to such news stories because I am a lifelong vegetarian, but these number are quite shocking.

All the talk of local, grass-fed, free-range, cattle/chicken/whatever strike me as complete BS. The animals still lead terrible lives, and for all the consumer knows, none of the claims are true. Many nations and civilizations (the Mesoamerican/Mexican in particular) developed without any domesticated animals, and it is certainly not a critical part of any diet. Milk is just obscene since most humans can't digest it and the dairy-industry is an oft-ignored conspirator of neo-colonialism.

So if people want to consume all that, at least be honest: it's merely a selfish, hedonistic act, and nothing else.

A rather hateful first comment no?

El Ahuitzotl

i think it's a reasonable comment. hi!

The conspicuous morality of food politics are fun if you're not hungry.

well said.

Tomas-That would be the Isla Grande de Puerto Rico. I live on an island colony of another island colony.
And to Pat Logan-- I was a vegetarian for 10 years but had various problems that caused me to eat fish and fowl, goat and sheep. I have never been interested in vegetarianism as moral statement.
Those poor little fruits and vegetables can't run when you go out to pick them, and the roots like yautia and carrots are really just pitifully frozen there in the dirt, very vulnerable. They whimper as you go to dig them up, poor things. No sport in hunting veggies at all. At least you have to chase and kill the chicken, and try catching a goat sometime. Careful not to get your eye poked out.
What I think is most important though is to emphasize something that Ahuitzotl says and that is that claims may often not be true {I am a grower, it is not always an honorable profession} and also just because something is local does NOT give it any strange and wonderful cache other than it didn't travel far.
Remember that Ricin, the product of the castor bean {grows in my backyard} is one of the most deadly poisons there is. Completely organic, natural, local, free in fact for me, and totally to be avoided. Same with brugmansia and datura, poinsettia and so on. Did I mention Bufo Marinus? Good luck with that one.
In my case we are very concerned that our vegetables are not gathering heavy metals and old sugar plantation and pineapple field pesticides that apparently take forever to break down in the soils. The head of the EPA here lives across from my office and finca and we discuss these topics constantly.
All of you farmers who read this blog {are there any?} why not add some commentary?
I do not wish to seem to be denigrating the ideas put forth here in the comments, but I think it would be a good idea if the readers had better information.
The food growing world is extremely complicated. It is far from a simple topic especially when one considers toxicity, energy use, water use, crop practices, organic vs. non-organic, growing cash crops {exotic vegetables} vs. cheaper more affordable common crops and on and on and on. We haven't mentioned finding labor.
Then, after all of that, there is the philosophy of the diet, all the way from ripped raw flesh {sushi, walrus} to the somewhat implausible breatharianism.
I better stop now before I launch into a really extensive exposition.

life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life, as maynard said

man i remember a mean goose i used to know. scarier than a mad dog, this thing. i'd just hope i'd never have to hunt it, cause i would probably end up vegetarian just from the effort.

hey, RC, if you have the info, its always great to hear it. and i welcome farmers to share their experience, for sure.