Request Follows Questions Over Whereabouts of BSE-Infected Cow's Siblings, Mother, Others
For Immediate Release:
May 2, 2012
Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. -- PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, who is the mother of a child in the California school system, has sent an urgent letter to Audrey Rowe, administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging her to remove beef and cow's milk immediately from school lunches nationwide. The appeal comes in the wake of the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) in a randomly tested cow at a California rendering plant. In the letter, Reiman points out that because there is ample evidence that the disease can pass from a cow to her offspring and that the USDA does not know the whereabouts of the infected cow's mother, siblings, or calves or their herdmates, other infected animals may have entered the food supply. She also cites a study published in PLoS Pathogens that concluded that prions, the infectious agents responsible for transmitting diseases that affect brain structure—such as BSE—may be transmitted through milk.
"Meat and milk already predispose kids to heart disease and other ailments, but now parents have to worry about mad cow disease, too," says Reiman. "The solution is simple: If these kids don't consume meat and milk, they will not contract BSE."
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PETA's letter to the USDA follows.
May 2, 2012
Audrey Rowe
Administrator
Food and
Nutrition Service
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
Dear Ms. Rowe,
I am writing as a mother with a son in the California school system and on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters to ask that you make the responsible decision to pull all beef and cow’s milk from school lunches in light of the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, in a randomly tested cow at a California rendering plant.
Parents across the country are understandably concerned about the safety of these products, which are regularly served to millions of children who rely on the school lunch program. Their fears are well founded considering that John Clifford, chief veterinarian for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has stated that there is evidence that BSE may be passed from mother to calf. Officials have yet to find the infected cow’s offspring, her mother’s other offspring, her mother, or former herdmates of any of them so that they may be examined, and it is likely that at least some of them have already ended up in the U.S. food supply. Even more alarming is the fact that the USDA tests only about 0.1 percent of all cows killed for food in the U.S. each year, so there is absolutely no way to determine how many other cows are infected with BSE, meaning that infected animals have likely already been ground up into hamburger and fed to our children. Mad cow disease is fatal to cows and also to children.
Furthermore, a study published in PLoS Pathogens found that prions, the infectious agents responsible for transmitting diseases that affect brain structure—like BSE—may be transmitted from animal to animal through milk, which the authors state "raises some concern with regard to the risk to humans associated with milk products from bovine and other dairy species." Michael Hansen, chief scientist for Consumers Union, is equally concerned, calling the possibility that this "atypical" form of BSE could pass from animals to humans via cow’s milk an "open question."
As the parent of a child in the public school system, I urge you not to gamble with our children’s lives: Remove all beef and dairy products from school lunches right away. Kids can get all the protein and calcium they need from healthy vegan foods such as veggie burgers, veggie dogs, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and fortified soy or almond milk, which are all 100 percent free of cholesterol, saturated animal fat, and mad cow disease. Please contact me with any questions or if you would like me to help you identify vegan food vendors. I hope to hear from you right away.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President