They’ll Be Unable to Use Old ‘Roos
The Agriculture Department is allowing U.S. companies to buy ground meat abroad for the first time since 1922, because it finally has the technology to detect even the most finely chopped kangaroo or water buffalo labeled as beef.
Consumer activists complain that the decision will make it easier for foreign meat tainted with bones or blood clots to reach consumers.
Department officials say today’s technology can spot small specks of ground meat in packages of beef.
The United States imported 2.6 billion pounds of meat and poultry from 33 countries in 1990. Imports accounted for just a fraction of U.S. meat consumption of 40 billion pounds in 1989.
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