Clark Howard Speaks Out on Food Regulation

I used to live in the Atlanta area and have listened to the Clark Howard radio show for many years. He gives great consumer advice and I generally agree with him about the role of government. Today, he posted show notes about the recent problems with horse meat ending up in food where it is not supposed to be.

Clark observes:

"But the thing is, we need government oversight too. Government has a role to play in health and safety. The reality is normal capitalist rules don't work when it comes to health, safety, or the environment because that would bean lower profits."

In my personal opinion, one of the legitimate roles of government is to keep us safe from these ne'er do wells who will not honestly label their products. I believe that if you want horse meat, that it is a source of meat that should be allowed. I also believe that you should know what you are getting and be able to make the choice for yourself and your family.

Unfortunately, until the potential punishments are strong enough to make people decide the reward is not worth the risk, then people will continue to do things like this in lots of different ways in different industries. Also, as long as the consumer only looks at price, producers will feel the pressure to produce cheaper and inferior products.

Right now in Washington, D.C., our congresscritters are avoiding making a budget and bringing on the threat of the dreaded sequester. You can also find many examples of overzealous regulators or agencies going too far. But there will always be a need for protection for the consumer. Unfortunately, in our human world, some people have to be made to do the right thing.

And that's one of the reasons why, as Clark says, "...it's reasonable to expect government to play the role of referee."

Preach on, preacher.

Food Expiration Dates Podcast

I enjoy listening to podcasts. Some of my favorites come from the web site How Stuff Works. One of their series that I listen to is Stuff Mom Never Told You. Recently the lovely and talented hosts, Cristen and Caroline, did a podcast on food expiration dates. Most of the information in the podcast is great, but there are a few comments that I have about this particular episode.

First of all, as this podcast is normally concerned with women's issues, I would like to point out that pregnant women should be extra concerned with food expiration dates. This is due to the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. This is an especially dangerous bacteria that can cause stillbirths and infant deaths, depending on the stage of the pregnancy. There is a lot of advice out there geared towards Listeria prevention in pregnant women. Of particular risk are Latinas who eat queso fresco. This is a cheese that is often made at home with unpasteurized milk. Pregnant women should avoid soft cheeses and anything made from unpasteurized milk. Additionally, they need to make sure that processed meat products like hot dogs and lunch meats are within the expiration dates and the FDA recommends cooking them to 165°F before eating.

Another thing that helps with Listeria prevention is keeping the refrigerator at 40°F, as was discussed in the podcast. It's good advice for everyone, but especially homes with pregnant women living there.

A concern I have about the information in the podcast was when it was mentioned that we should expect raw meat to be free from things like E. coli. I wish this were the case. Unfortunately, we need to treat all raw meat and poultry products as if they were contaminated. They fact that they are USDA inspected does not mean that they are free from bacteria, it just means that they were produced under sanitary conditions (at least that is what it is supposed to mean). According to a recent test from Consumer Reports, only 34% of raw chicken they tested was germ free. This is why everyone cooks their chicken well done.

The last thing I want to mention is about what the different dates mean. Milk and eggs are typically good after the date on the package. Check the regulations in your state for details on how long it is supposed to be good for. Generally, a state department of agriculture will regulate this and have this information available. For other dates, proceed with caution, especially if you are pregnant. A date that says "best by" is usually related to quality. Dates on pharmaceuticals are often related to the effectiveness of the drug.

In the Zombie Apocalypse, I will eat what I have to and probably not notice the dates. But, while conditions are relatively normal, let's be careful. If any zombies are reading this, my brain is well past its expiration date.