astra_nomer: (Default)
[personal profile] astra_nomer
...plates is fine. But not so much in the food itself.

"FDA scientists" have decided that chickens fed melamine-tainted feed are fine for human consumption. As as scientist, I want to believe them. If they say that amounts of melamine detected in chickens were well below health safety limits, I'll take their word for it.

But my gut reaction is to be really, really skeptical, and seriously consider buying only organic chicken and other meat. Because really, scientists are only human and are therefore prone to error. For instance, I'm often skeptical of press releases regarding astronomy, because I often know the assumptions they make to justify their claims. Then again, maybe I'm falling for the "can't trust scientists" rhetoric that the Bush administration has been so good at spreading. That's a seriously scary thought.

My brain and my gut are at war with each other. What would you do? Would you eat chicken that had eaten melamine-tainted food (assuming you're not vegetarian, of course)?

Date: 2007-05-09 02:54 pm (UTC)
desireearmfeldt: (Default)
From: [personal profile] desireearmfeldt
For those of us out of the science/news loop, what is melamine and why is it getting into chicken feed?

Date: 2007-05-09 03:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ayekamn.livejournal.com
I think if [livejournal.com profile] sensational didn't already insist that we buy organic meat, I might think about switching, but I am also typically skeptical of widespread government warnings like this.

I'm also *very* skeptical of a lot of high-profile scientific results, because I know what a factor spin can be. My graduate advisor was a huge fan of this and made most of his decisions based on "how can he spin this into something exciting" versus doing actual good science. It's clear from his work... he's a very successful grant writer, but doesn't publish much.

Date: 2007-05-09 03:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arcanology.livejournal.com
Nope, wouldn't eat it if I knew, but that is mainly because I wish to punish the entire supply chain for inadequate food safety, and the chicken is the only accessible part for me.

If the chicken guys feel the hurt they'll demand better safety on their suppliers, and so on.

Date: 2007-05-09 03:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] remcat.livejournal.com
I would probably decide that in the large scheme of things, that slightly tainted food is not a serious risk factor in my life -- and as such, is not worth worrying about.

Date: 2007-05-09 04:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nuclearpolymer.livejournal.com
There are many reasons to buy more expensive, higher quality food. The malamine thing wouldn't push me over the edge, but if it might make me feel a little more righteous if I were already shopping organic.

Date: 2007-05-09 05:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chenoameg.livejournal.com
I've been meaning to find a local source for chicken. This might get me to do so. But probably not.
It's yet another reminder that our food supply is a mess, but I suspect that the melamine won't be in the food for long, and

I don't view it as a conflict between brain and gut, honestly.

What the FDA means: "eating animals that have eaten melamine-tainted feed won't kill you or make you really sick anytime soon."

That still doesn't mean:
"We're sure that nothing bad will ever happen to you if you spike your body with some melamine for a while." There's no way it could mean that.

So my gut reaction to the food supply being fucked with and my brain's reaction to trust scientific results are aligned if you ask me.

Side rant -- perish the thought we should do something about bacteria contamination of food, which kills a lot of people (probably more than the number of pets that died from the melamine contamination.)

Date: 2007-05-09 11:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] capsicumanuum.livejournal.com
Personally I'm holding off on all chicken until I see more information. I want to trust scientists, but I know all too well that when scientists are put under time pressure, it is easy to overlook things or make faulty assumptions. If the word in another two or three weeks is that the levels are still below the critical threshhold, then I will return to my default chicken-purchasing habits.

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