Let's start with this: the sheer size of the recall:

The amount of beef—143 million pounds—is roughly enough for two hamburgers for each man, woman and child in the United States.

Then let's add in the fact that a big chunk of the recalled meat went to vulnerable populations (not that all Americans shouldn't expect food safety regulations be followed):

About 37 million pounds of the recalled meat went to school lunch programs and other federal nutrition programs since October 2006, said Ron Vogel of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

Next, let's think about the real dangers posed by this event. I'm a layperson and all, but I know that downer cows are more likely to carry the prions that cause mad cow disease, which can cause Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. That's when people get the same symptoms as mad cows. And die, always. And it can take many years for the symptoms to show up. By that time, who can say whether this incident was the cause?

Another more immediate danger is e. Coli contamination. Poisoning shouldn't happen if the meat is cooked properly. But why should we have to worry more about it? Why isn't our food safety system (ahem, HELLO, USDA) monitoring these things more closely? Can I hereby request that my tax dollars that are currently going to shoot the daylights out of Iraq be diverted to keeping our own food safer? 'Cause it's pretty clear we don't have enough supervision on the ground here.

If my family and I were vegetarian, I'd be very happy there was no chance we'd eaten this beef. But we're not. And I don't think I could be.

So, again, I'm renewing my commitment to buying our meats from small farms that care for their animals well, feed them right, and practice clean, humane slaughter. (I know. It's not humane. But there it is.) I'll also buy meats from the Niman Ranch Cooperative, which I know holds its farmers to strict standards. I won't buy from the "naturally raised" brands in the larger retailers because the guidelines for that label are fuzzy. I don't trust them.

Still I can't rule out the occasional burger out somewhere. I can't help digging the burgers at Five Guys and at a little burger stand up the street. But I think we'll limit those to once a month or so.

PunditMom covers the topic well on the DC Metro Moms blog.

I'd love to see more of the major restaurant chains address food safety. Jack in the Box and In-n-Out have stepped up. Where's everyone else? Hello, McDonald's? Burger King? Large companies can do so much to reassure the public and change safety policy for the better.

Where are you, Forces for Good? How much prodding do you need to make sure (or at least to reassure us that you're making sure) our food is safe and our animals are treated right?

So, readers, how has this news affected your thinking? Not at all? A lot? Let me know.

Posted by QSMama at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Update: NPR's Scott Horsley reported on this on November 13. Go here to listen.

When Baby A was a few months old, I discovered a Starbucks with a drive-thru window, and I became a regular. I'd learned one of those things they don't tell you before you give birth: Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to get out of the car. (And caffeine is a must-have when you're up three times a night.)

It's not laziness, or overdependence on the car. On the contrary, it's the simple fact that once a baby goes to sleep, you really, really don't want to wake her up. Later comes the toddler corrollary: Once a whiny, fidgety toddler is strapped into her carseat, you really, really don't want to let her out until you're at your destination.

Wireless payment (or RFID or "contactless" payment) takes the drive-thru ease a step further. All you have to do to pay is wave a small wand in front of a reader. A third-party billing system relays the charges to your credit or debit card. Increasingly, quick-serve chains have been adopting this technology—McDonald's in the Chicago and Southern California areas were among the first to do it, some five or six years ago.

Now Jack in the Box says it's installing contactless card readers at all company restaurants, meaning guests can pay simply by holding their cards in front of a reader at the front counter or drive-thru window. No swipe required. And that's nice inside the store, too, when you're holding a wriggling kid and trying to fish out your wallet at the same time.

Contactless payment at Jack in the Box requires guests to have an American Express, Discover Network, MasterCard PayPass, or Visa Contactless card or device embedded with a chip that communicates with the reader via radio frequency.

JITB says installation of the readers should be completed by December 31. With the move, Jack in the Box will become one of the first major fast-food chains to accept contactless payment at all company restaurants.

Have you ever paid this way at a quick-serve restaurant? How well did it work?

Posted by QSMama at 06:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There was a great piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about healthy drive-thru options for kids.

The writer and her assistants looked at kids' meals at a number of chains and found, to quote the article, "[a]ll of the big chains offer at least one not-so-terrible option for kids." In fact, they found a great number of options, some of which you're probably familiar with, such as fruit cups, apple slices, and milk.

They also found some more unusual choices, like organic yogurt at St. Louis Bread Co., the Southwest chicken pita at Jack in the Box (with black beans and corn), and a little banana split just for kids at Sonic.

Wouldn't Baby A love that! "Ice cream" was about her fourth word ("imeeeeee!").

Posted by QSMama at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jack in the Box announced it's adding Jack’s Fresh Fruit Cup to the menu, a 7-ounce serving of cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, and red grapes served in a sealed cup designed for on-the-go eating. The fruit is supplied by Del Monte.

The chain says it is also adding Dannon bottled water to its beverage menu.

The new Fresh Fruit Cup and bottled water are available for the suggested prices, excluding tax, of $2.29 and $1.29, respectively, at all participating restaurants. Based in San Diego, the company has more than 2,055 Jack in the Box restaurants in 17 states

Posted by QSMama at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)