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Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” Revisited: California Legislation to Promote Food Safety and Outlaw Sale of Meat from Seriously Ill Cattle

By Paul Krekorian
Member
California State Assembly

In January 2008, the Humane Society of the Unites States released undercover videotape of workers at the Westland/Hallmark slaughterhouse in Chino attempting to drive seriously ill downed cattle into the slaughter line with horrendously inhumane measures. The sick cattle were pushed with forklifts, kicked and electrocuted, and even had pressurized water forced into their nostrils with hoses, by workers who were trying to force them toward the “kill box” for slaughter.

Perhaps even more shocking was the realization that the meat from these cows had been processed and had entered the food supply. Since 2004, “downer” animals – those who are so sick or injured that they cannot stand and walk on their own -- have been banned for human consumption because they present a significantly increased risk of potentially fatal pathogens such as mad cow disease, E. coli and salmonella.

As a result of the Humane Society’s investigation, 143 million pounds of beef that had been processed at the Chino plant was recalled – the largest meat recall in U.S. history. Nearly a third of the beef to be recalled had been sold to the nation’s schools for children’s lunch programs, and much of it had already been eaten. Nonetheless, although individual workers were charged with abuse, the company faced no criminal charges for selling the tainted beef, despite the horrendous threat to public safety and the extraordinary monetary loss resulting from the recall. Clearly, current California law is woefully inadequate to prevent the kind of abuses that went on in the Westland/Hallmark plant and to protect the public from the risks related to beef derived from seriously ill animals.

I introduced Assembly Bill 2098 in response to this scandal for three vitally important reasons: to protect the public from potentially deadly tainted meat, to protect farm animals from cruel and inhumane treatment, and to protect the reputation of the California beef industry. California cannot allow unscrupulous slaughterhouse operators to endanger the safety of America’s food supply and engage in grotesquely cruel practices to squeeze out a few more dollars of profit.

AB 2098 is an important step toward safer food and basic decency to the animals that provide it. AB 2098 will outlaw the sale of meat from animals who are too sick or injured to be able to stand and walk for human consumption, and will impose stiff criminal penalties on those who sell such products.

While testifying in support of the measure, San Bernardino District Attorney Michael Ramos stated that had this bill been existing law, his office would have been able to prosecute the company – not just the two workers who were ordered to engage in the brutality. Californians should demand that law enforcement be given the tools they need to prevent this kind of abuse that endangers the public.

While I am pleased that AB 2098 passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee with bipartisan support by a vote of 6-1, there are still many hurdles ahead. The bill will next be considered by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and then the full Assembly, before being considered by the Senate. I would ask everyone who cares about animal welfare, about food safety, and about protecting California jobs to contact their representatives in the State Assembly and the State Senate, as well as the Governor, to ask that they support AB 2098.

Paul Krekorian is a Member of the State Assembly for the 43rd District, which includes Burbank, Glendale and portions of Los Angeles. He is the author of AB 2098.

Posted on April 06, 2008

Comments

Kudos to Assemblyman Krekorian for introducing this humane legislation.

But with all due respect, the Chino slaughterhouse atrocities wouldn't have been a blip on the radar screen, had not the meat been destined for school kids' lunch programs.
These abuses (and far worse) are routine at slaughterhouses, packing plants and "factory farms" across the country, as has been documented in Upton Sinclair's 1906 "The Jungle," Eric Schlosser's 2001 "Fast Food Nation," and Michael Pollan's 2006 "The Omnivore's Dilemma," to name but a few. No one has the RIGHT to be surprised. Perhaps the most important of these exposes is Gail Eisnitz's 1997 "Slaughterhouse," which includes wrenching interviews of workers, inspectors, veterinarians, USDA officials, and parents of sick, dead and dying children.
The president of the Chino slaughterhouse, Steven Mendell, has opined that, "My system broke down." Hardly. The videotaped abuses ARE the system, while those responsible look the other way. Bottom line: corporate profits. A startling 70% of the drugs produced in the U.S. is fed to farm animals, often with dire consequences for those who eat these products over time.
And the workers are nearly as brutalized and exploited as the animals. Just as in Sinclair's day, the majority of the employees are Mexicans, Central Americans and Southeast Asians. Many are undocumented, illerate, and speak little English. Reportedly, injuries in these abattoirs are three times those in other factories. The average slaughterhouse worker lasts but three months, toiling under horrendous conditions for minimum wagges.
As usual, only the grunts will be punished, a la Enron ande Abu Ghraib. It's the owners, managers and government officials who should be doing the serious jail time. The fish rots from the head down, starting with the White House and the USDA. Meanwhile, we are all complicit, and the suffering continues unabated.

Sincerely,
Eric Mills, coordinator
ACTION FOR ANIMALS
Oakland

Posted by: eric mills at April 6, 2008 11:18 AM

What Mr. Mills wrote is true. However, regarding his comment that we are all complicit, there's no justification or excuse for any of us being so. Anyone who doesn't want to cause animals the immense suffering they are subjected to when they're raised and killed for food should opt instead for a vegan diet: one that rejects meat, milk and eggs. There are marvelous vegan alternatives to pretty much every animal-derived food. They are healthier for us and better for the environment. See: http://www.TryVeg.com and http://www.vrg.org

Posted by: MaryF at April 6, 2008 07:44 PM

Can the Assemblyman (or the Progress Report) give us a link to our Assembly members' emails?
This is a very important bill and I applaud you for carrying it.
Lauren Coodley
Editor, "Land of Orange Groves and Jails: Upton Sinclair's California" (Heyday Books).

Posted by: lauren at April 7, 2008 09:52 AM

Here is a link to find your Assemblymembers and contact information:

www.assembly.ca.gov

Click on the left links to "Find My District" or "Member Directory" if you know your Assemblymember.

Posted by: Theo Cline at April 7, 2008 03:00 PM

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