The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released a public health alert in response to a new massive salmonella outbreak. Foster Farms chicken is the culprit and so far almost 300 people have been infected.
The outbreak comes during the government shutdown, when the USDA and FSIS websites, which usually inform people about public health issues, are partially shutdown due to a lack of funding. Millions of people may be left in the dark a result.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has furloughed 68 percent of its workforce. A representative for the agency recently told “Wired”: “I know that we will not be conducting multi-state outbreak investigations. States may continue to find outbreaks, but we won’t be doing the cross-state consultation and laboratory work to link outbreaks that might cross state borders.”
Without the resources to get the word out and curtail dangerous outbreaks, the situation could go from bad to worse.
The best way to steer clear of contaminated chicken is simply not to eat it. Luckily, chicken is the easiest animal product to replace in our diets. Companies like Gardein and Beyond Meat make delicious plant-based versions that not only taste amazing, but harm no one.
With absolutely no federal laws to protect them and with over eight billion slaughtered per year in the U.S., chickens are arguably the most tortured animals on the planet. For more inspiration on leaving chickens, and all animals, off your plate, visit ChooseVeg.com.
