Diet fails

[[pi...]]

Anywhoo getting a bit off topic, ultimately This does seem a bit futile because im sure we will just become more entrenched in our own views. But for those on the fence looking at this discussion. A very good debate here between a vegan advocate and a paleo advocate where they go toe to toe on American biggest podcast, you can see where the carnivore and keto advocates are dropping the ball.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0zgNY_kqlI

 

Its 3.5 hours but its worth investing in. the context is its a debate between chris kresser and james wilkes over the recent documentary the game changers which was accused of being vegan propaganda (sound familiar?) and you see how that gets dealt with in the debate. They go through the slides and studies LINE BY LINE and you get a sense for where peoples weakness really are here. Decide for yourself.

That movie absolutely is vegan propaganda. James Cameron sells pea protein.

 

Yes Id heard the same thing from pretty much everyone before seeing the movie. This is why the debate was rather interesting. I went into it wanting to see Chris the Paleo guy blow the vegan propaganda movie out of the water. The vegan community are getting very absolute in some of their claims to KNOW 100% which is why i like criticism of their ideas and beliefs. If they are actually correct, lets see their beliefs under the test. The debate i linked to is a damn good showing of that. And the vegan people did their homework apparently because they came prepared to counter all the claims of propaganda, so if your firm in your beliefs, youll have fun seeing them exposed in that debate. James Cameron like most Hollywood is probably biased. All your carnivore and keto dr's on youtube you linked to were selling meat cook books, you going to dismiss them as well?

[[pi...]]

In terms of keto -> long story short -> Some very good evidence that it aids in reducing inflammatory response from auto immune conditions, YES admittedly! .However, also vast reports of significant Long terms issues in studies though including: kidney stones, tubular acidosis, gastrointestinal disturbances (diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, constipation, GER), Pneumonia, Acute pancreatitis, Hypothyroidism, Menstrual irregularities and amenorrea, ......The full list in on this link: its actually very worrying:

 

Vast reports? I have been looking into this for the past year and from what I can tell the number of people who report positive results with this diet far, far outweighs the people who report having issues.

 

So all in all, the keto "picture"  shows a lot of promising things around autoimmune but also alot of very worrying things. and personally i just couldn't do it with my health anxiety as bad as it still is. Especially when you dont see these reports for people on whole food plant based diets.

 

You obviously haven't spent much time in the keto/carnivore community. There is story after story of ex vegans regaining their health by switching back to eating animal foods after suffering from all sorts of health issues as a result of the vegan diet. I haven't seen too many people going the other direction.

 

I could do more looking, i mean like i said, i know about mikhelaa peterson, dr shawn baker, nina teicholz, the hungarian institute that mikheala is always linking research from, dr saladino and the dr from texas too. But thats about it. happy to see more if you got some resources?. On a quest for the truth just like you.

[[pi...]]

And carnivore, I mean no ones even studied this because its just considered completely nuts by nutritionists and doctors.

 

Of course it is considered completely nuts in the context of the modern world where we obtain our foods at 24 hour supermarkets that are stacked with aisle upon aisle of packaged foods and exotic fruits and vegetables from all around the world.

 

Would it have seemed "nuts" to our hunter gatherer ancestors who hunted animals as a primary source of nutrition?

 

This isnt true, I addressed this in my section on indigenous diets and paleolithic diets. the term hunter gather is kind of a misnomer. Theres evidence they farmed in a pre agriculture way for alot of the diet, grasses and simple grains on riverbeds, that sort of thing. And the 'gatherer' part of the diet was the more reliable and sustainable food source that made up the bulk of the diet.

 

Plus the age expecation for our ancestors wasnt what is now if i recall. Like death was between 30 and 60 years from most reports ive seen, no need to worry about heart disease if everyones dead before cancer and heart disease hit

[[pi...]]

The problem here is that you believe that "plant based" diets have been fully explored.

 

If you approach diet from the standpoint of assuming that the evidence we have regarding diet is solid, of course it's going to sound crazy to eat a meat heavy diet. They have been pushing this on us for over half a century so it is ingrained in the collective consciousness that meat is bad and vegetables are good.

 

This is really no different than taking for granted that psych drugs are "medicine". Before this benzo mess most of us simply took for granted that the so called "experts" knew what was really wrong with us and what could help us and that these drugs were properly studied for safety and efficacy.

 

Now most of us know that they don't really know what is causing the issues they prescribe these drugs for and they don't know how the drugs affect the human body. We are part of an ongoing science experiment and no one seems to be learning from it.

 

To think that the same thing can't happening with diet is foolish.

 

If our experience with benzos means we can never trust any authority ever again, we are in for a rough ride in life, i dont have the answer for this. I know what happened to us was a crime, and that it was organized and malicious because of profits and corruption of the healthcare industry. But if every issue where we are looking for the truth from here on out is seen through the lens of this crime, then how are we ever going to see clearly again. I agree, be very skeptical and im not 100% certain of anything here. and yes be on the lookout for another possible life tidal wave like this.

 

Having said that, I still dont think theres enough smoke here to make me think its the fire of another benzo's atrocity. If anything, why arent the billions of dollars from meat and dairy corrupting the scientific field like big pharma did with benzos.  no one eats fruits and vegetables in the standard american diet. So they have no money and lobbying power compared to animal industry of meat and dairy. so what, its a government conspiracy to make us all sick, why? the government doesnt profit off sick people. the health industry does. The government loses money off medicaid and social healthcare initiatives. i dont see abuse and potential here for another silent benzo epidemic quite like you do. Although of course im on the lookout, i think everyone here is. We all have ptsd to some degree because of this im sure.

[[pi...]]

Pinky, thanks for taking the time to write such a long post! I enjoyed reading your points backed up with links and data, you make a good case. Personally, I haven't watched the Joe Rogan debate, but it DOES seem like the Game Changers IS vegan propaganda.  I like vegan as an ideology, as I see its usefulness and I love animals, but I don't like how they took to cherry picking data, makes the seem unprofessional, manipulative and dogmatic.

 

Mamoot, yes, you give some very good advice, in line with the consensus at this time. I would add to this limiting processed foods, and keeping track also HOW MUCH we eat, not only WHAT we eat. 

 

No problem new girl! Benzo healing time gave me lots of time to read I guess, sorry if it gets a bit over the top. Yes I heard the same thing about the movie being propaganda, I assume it is. But after the watching the debate, I have to say, the scientific credentials were enough to turn joe rogan around and i was pretty surprised too. I mean they even had the US army sign off on the scientific credentials and add the move to their list of vegan educationals or something like that (its mentioned in the debate) if the army does a review and signs off on it for their requirements i mean, they only care about combat readiness and scientific fact, they wouldnt take chances on some crazy ideology. Anywhoo i think its def worth a look that debate if your bored lol.

 

I love animals too but i must confess I dont feel like its morally wrong to eat animals. I think it is. but i never feel like it is when i search inside for answers. Its strange

 

Yeah the vegan community is full of people im very suspicious of in terms of the types who love to have an ideology and then just cultishly chase the data they want. so im v skeptical of vegans. Glad to see im not the only one watching with a furrowed brow. lol

 

[[pi...]]

He says he gets "high" off eating rancid, rotting meat that he lets sit in jars until it becomes black and rotting, he even goes to catch ups and shares rotting meat with fellow people who eat rotten meat (they call it 'ageing'), its hard to take his videos seriously dude.

 

High meat is a thing. We don't think twice about eating fermented, fruits, grain and vegetables, so why would something like this seem outrageous? Inuit people have been doing this for generations. It only seems odd in the context of our modern diet. Using this to try to discredit someone is grasping for straws.

actually i do think twice about eating anything that's rotten, i believe fermenting plants is to make sure they dont rot, its more of a controlled spoilage? not sure but i dont eat it anyways because rotten food is a self evident no no in my book. and these high meat eaters are not fermenting it, its just sitting in jars rotting. They keep jars of rotten carcasses to sit for months and years before eating. getting past the disgust response and the obvious fatal health risk, how is this something the carnivore community can support?

 

It is a thing. its called rotten meat and it leads to food poisoning. I believe sVringe actually had a few hospital visits to the ICU for that.

 

I saw a video where he eats 1 year old rotten meat that looks like beige slime with flies hovering around the jar. All your claims of crazy vegans and this never set off any alarm bells for you?

 

 

[[pi...]]

Sorry for the staggered posts. Im not good at this.  :( :(

[[Fl...]]

Couldn't agree more, The burden of proof should be very high before governments and institutions and people right it off as a straight up carcinogen/poison. Having said that, the World Health Organization does already does provide a scale of this: red meat is considered group 2A - that it probably causes cancer. Processed meat though they were clear cut - they said its 1A based on their 10 expert panel review of the scientific literature - as in they absolutely do cause cancer. many governments are now saying similar.

 

You seem to be assuming that the WHO and other health organizations aren't being corrupted by outside influences. This is no different than outside influences (drug companies) having their grubby hands in the medical industry, perhaps its even worse considering the fact that drugs and medicine are highly regulated and a larger blip on people's radars.

 

And again just because medicine screwed us with benzos doesn't mean its also screwing us here. Its a logical fallacy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrelevant_conclusion) to assume just because they lied about benzo's or were ignorant about benzo's, then they are probably lying about this and ignorant about this. The paleo/keto/carnivore community need to have this argument with the science out in public. Rather than preaching to their respective echo chambers. I think its telling that they dont.

 

Look around you. How many obese people do you see? If you are in the USA, probably a LOT. Compare a photograph of people from 50 years ago to a photograph of people today. Better yet, compare a photograph of elementary school kids from 50 years ago to kids today. Ever since the government and other so called health authorities took it upon themselves to tell us how we should be eating, and ever since the advent of processed seed oils and HFCS we have seen a massive explosion in obesity and all of the serious metabolic diseases that go with it.

 

Something isn't right, yet they want us to believe that if we continue to follow the guidelines that state that the majority of our diet should be plant foods that eventually things are going to start to turn around? Good luck with that. A lot of these problems only started when they began preaching to us about what we should and shouldn't be eating. I'm not going to pretend to have all of the answers but I can tell you that what we are doing now isn't working and it isn't going to get any better unless we see some massive changes.

 

We can argue about who is right and who is wrong all we want but at the end of the day we simply do not have solid scientific proof either way so we have to take all of the evidence we have into account and use our own deductive reasoning skills to get an idea of what is really going on.

 

You injected your own conclusions/ theories about excessive sugar and processed food causing issues here, So you'll accept the science on sugar and processed food being an issue without confirmation beyond a shadow of a doubt but you'll bend over backwards to not see any issues with science like this pointing out a correlation with meat.

 

It's all opinion since we simply do not have solid scientific data. All I know is that people who move away from the standard american/western diet to either end of the dietary spectrum (heavy meat or heavy plant) it seems to have a short term positive impact on health, and to me that is pretty good evidence that there is something in the foods that both groups are cutting out that is responsible for a lot of health issues. The question of whether or not a heavy meat or a heavy plant based diet is safe or beneficial long term is another issue. I personally believe that leaning toward a meat based diet is healthier, which brings us to the next topic-

 

i will check them out, is this the link to the channel? https://www.youtube.com/user/cdm0014

 

I looked at this channel, alot of it was joint pics of men and women looking skinnier in before and after photos. This isn't good evidence man, this is anecdotal (lowest form evidence) which is also unverified and just random ppl on the internet. Its not persuasive sorry. and IM NOT VEGAN!.

 

If watching these videos doesn't cause you to stop and wonder what is going on with the vegan diet, I don't know what to tell you.

 

The meat vs plants argument isn't a black and white thing but if you look at these videos after stripping it back to just a meat vs plant debate, the fact that there are dozens if not hundreds of videos showing people who promote the vegan diet looking like they are on the verge of starvation while there seem to be few if any examples of people who advocate for a heavy meat based diet who look like they just stepped out of a concentration camp should at least make you stop and think about what might be going on.

 

Again, the general point I am trying to make is that the subject of diet is a lot more complicated than the authorities would have us believe, and given the fact that we have little solid scientific evidence to support any conclusions either way, it would behoove us to pay close attention to any and all observable anecdotal evidence we have.

 

All your carnivore and keto dr's on youtube you linked to were selling meat cook books, you going to dismiss them as well?

 

Anyone who takes the time to put out information is likely going to want to get paid for it. Everyone has bills to pay. Doesn't mean that we have to throw out the information completely but we have to be aware of where the information is coming from.

 

I could do more looking, i mean like i said, i know about mikhelaa peterson, dr shawn baker, nina teicholz, the hungarian institute that mikheala is always linking research from, dr saladino and the dr from texas too. But thats about it. happy to see more if you got some resources?. On a quest for the truth just like you.

 

The gold is in the comments. Pull up just about any youtube video by any of the people you mentioned above and read the comments. Way too many reports of drastic health improvements after switching to a meat heavy diet to discount, and many of them are reporting that they have been eating this way for several years or more.

 

If our experience with benzos means we can never trust any authority ever again, we are in for a rough ride in life, i dont have the answer for this. I know what happened to us was a crime, and that it was organized and malicious because of profits and corruption of the healthcare industry. But if every issue where we are looking for the truth from here on out is seen through the lens of this crime, then how are we ever going to see clearly again. I agree, be very skeptical and im not 100% certain of anything here. and yes be on the lookout for another possible life tidal wave like this.

 

The benzo issue is an atrocity. If you don't walk away from that understanding that it is absolutely imperative that you question EVERYTHING health related, you haven't learned your lesson.

 

I'm not talking about you in particular, I am talking about people in general. This was our wake up call. If a doctor can prescribe you a drug that damages your brain and CNS to a point where you are essentially non-functional for years on end, just to look you in the eye and gaslight you when you dare to mention that your issues might be related to a drug, there is a serious systemic problem and you can't assume for one second that it's the only problem.

 

Having said that, I still dont think theres enough smoke here to make me think its the fire of another benzo's atrocity. If anything, why arent the billions of dollars from meat and dairy corrupting the scientific field like big pharma did with benzos.  no one eats fruits and vegetables in the standard american diet. So they have no money and lobbying power compared to animal industry of meat and dairy. so what, its a government conspiracy to make us all sick, why? the government doesnt profit off sick people. the health industry does. The government loses money off medicare and social healthcare initiatives. i dont see abuse and potential here for another silent benzo epidemic quite like you do. Although of course im on the lookout, i think everyone here is. We all have ptsd to some degree because of this im sure.

 

Just like with benzos, there doesn't have to be any kind of conspiracy, there just has to be an incentive for money to flow in a certain direction.

 

You might want to do some more research on how our current dietary guidelines came about. You might be shocked to learn how much of it came from business, political and religious influences. The government isn't immune to these influences. Matter of fact it is probably more of a reflection of the influences than anything. So saying that the government doesn't profit off of making us sick isn't necessarily true. It's all about the money and government is just another tool for certain groups to get what they want.

 

actually i do think twice about eating anything that's rotten, i believe fermenting plants is to make sure they dont rot, its more of a controlled spoilage? not sure but i dont eat it anyways because rotten food is a self evident no no in my book. and these high meat eaters are fermenting it, its just sitting in jars rotting. They keep jars of rotten carcasses to sit for months and years before eating. getting past the disgust response and the obvious fatal health risk, how is this something the carnivore community can support?

 

Fermenting foods does many different things, many of them beneficial to humans. By your logic we shouldn't even be eating cheese.

 

I don't know that much about high meat but I do know that it isn't just about throwing meat in a jar to let it rot, you need to provide specific conditions. Same as if you make cheese or brew beer. It's not my thing but apparently lots of people like stinky cheese.  I think kombucha is delicious but it has slime floating on the top and it doesn't smell very good so it isn't appealing to some people.

 

I doubt that I will ever get into the high meat thing but I understand that the revulsion I might have to it is mostly just cultural conditioning. If I am perfectly ok with eating other foods that have gone through some type of enzymatic transformation there really isn't any reason think that eating meat that has gone through a similar process is weird or dangerous, at least not if it is done correctly.

 

 

 

 

 

[[Fi...]]

It may not matter to some beef eaters but did you know that the majority of the beef in U.S. supermarkets that is marked "Product of the USA" is imported from other countries?

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolerasul/2018/08/29/why-your-product-of-u-s-a-steak-may-not-actually-be-from-a-cow-raised-on-american-soil/

 

I picked this video after viewing a few that explains the difference between grass fed and grass fed/grain finished beef. IMO, the video is a fairly good depiction of typical U.S. beef ranching by non-big 4 corporate beef producers:

 

"How We Finish Steers on the Ranch - Grass Fed, Grain Finished"

 

Edit:

 

I jumped ahead a few videos on this beef ranchers' vlog & viewed this one on how CoVid-19 is affecting their lives (it's not scary & has some really cute parts). Again, IMO the video is a fairly good depiction of ranching/farming lives in rural America & how CoVid-19 has to date affected us. The family also discusses their thoughts about the future:

 

"The Ranch and How Covid-19 Affects It"

 

Best Wishes to All

[[An...]]

I keep failing to stick to a healthy diet. I try every week. But I keep falling off that wagon. I end eating burgers, cheese sandwiches, juices, chocolate. ND I know this revvs up my anxiety badly. I just always convince myself that no harm will be done...

 

I wonder if people heal regardless of sticking to strict diets. Cause I'm failing this diet game.

I personally think you can heal from benzo w/d eating a crummy diet but the crummy diet over time will cause many other physical health problems like CHD, stroke, and cancer  (three big killers) of Americans. I personally eat and recommend a whole food plant based diet. I have been eating like this for over 7 years now. I am no saint however. I do eat bad things sometimes but 90% of my diet is good IMO. Most Americans sadly will never consider eating a whole food plant based diet bc they say they don't like the taste of the food. It does take the taste buds about 2 months to adapt to this WOE when you transition and then, the food becomes really enjoyable and you will see remarkable positive changes in your health over time if you stick with it and do not cheat too much. It is also great for long-term weight control.

 

[[Fi...]]

Several days ago, I posted some links to a vlog by a small beef farming operation in Wyoming (see above). Today I'm posting a link to a video which shows from a drone what can be seen of U.S. "factory farms". Most of the meat and dairy products people purchase from U.S. supermarkets are produced in "factory farms". The inside operations of "factory farms" are tightly restricted and controlled for many reasons, including vector transmission of diseases from humans to the animals confined in the buildings.

 

I just wanted to expose some of the differences between the two types of meat & dairy production methods commonly practiced in the U.S. It is not difficult to find small farm operators who will work with people to produce and deliver the products they want. Or, people can continue to purchase their produce from the "box stores" which mostly sell "factory farm" commodities.

 

 

Edit:

 

Similar "factory" vs small farm operations exist for plant based commodities. This video primarily documents practices in Canada & California at so called "farmer's markets" but it occurs all over.

 

 

With recent travel restrictions in place due to CoVid-19, these practices will not likely change anytime soon.

 

Best Wishes on your diets.

 

[[Fi...]]

The Other White Meat

 

"South Dakota pork plant sees rash of COVID-19 cases"

By STEPHEN GROVES

today

 

https://apnews.com/518256a1762bf88531b87af7fcf6eca6

 

"SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The union representing employees at a Smithfield pork processing plant in South Dakota said workers were induced to report to work through company bonuses as a rash of coronavirus infections broke out at the facility, resulting in over 80 cases being confirmed on Wednesday.

 

Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said over 80 employees have tested positive, according to data released Tuesday. United Food and Commercial Workers, the union representing employees at the plant, reported the number of people with confirmed cases is higher — more than 120. The Sioux Falls plant, which employees about 2,800 people in the state’s largest city, has emerged as a hotspot of infections, accounting for at least 1 in 5 confirmed cases in South Dakota.

 

Smithfield employs over 54,000 people worldwide, distributing packaged meat to 5,700 customers in 43 countries, according to the company’s website. There has been no evidence that the coronavirus is being transmitted through food or its packaging, according to the Department of Agriculture.

.

."

 

Note: Smithfield is owned by: "WH Group (Chinese: 万洲国际; pinyin: Wànzhōu Guójì), formerly known as Shuanghui Group (Chinese: 双汇集团; pinyin: Shuānghuì Jítuán),[4] is a publicly traded Chinese meat and food processing company headquartered in Luohe, Henan, China.[5] Sometimes also known as Shineway Group in English-speaking countries, the company's businesses include hog raising, consumer meat products, flavoring products, and logistics.[6] It is the largest pork producer in the world,[5] and the largest meat producer in China.

.

."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WH_Group

[[Fi...]]

"U.S. Meat Supply Is 'Perilously Close' To A Shortage, CEO Warns"

 

April 13, 2020 10:53 AM ET

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/13/833110486/u-s-meat-supply-is-perilously-close-to-a-shortage-ceo-warns

 

"One of the country's largest pork-producing plants closed indefinitely after nearly 300 of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. And the company's CEO warned that the coronavirus pandemic is pushing the nation's meat supply "perilously close" to the edge.

 

"It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running," Smithfield Foods CEO Kenneth Sullivan said in a statement.

 

Smithfield decided to close its plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., which provides 4% to 5% of the pork produced in the United States. The move came after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem urged the company to "do more" to address the pandemic.

 

"The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply," Sullivan said.

 

Smithfield is one of several meat-producing companies that have suspended or cut back on production in recent weeks.

 

JBS USA has closed a Souderton, Pa., beef plant until at least Thursday and has reduced production at a second facility in Greeley, Colo., because of high absenteeism among employees.

 

Cargill and Tyson Foods have also closed plants in Pennsylvania and Iowa.

 

Sullivan warned that the growing shutdowns are hurting the nation's meat supply in a way that is reaching throughout the U.S. economy.

 

"These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain, first and foremost our nation's livestock farmers. These farmers have nowhere to send their animals," he wrote.

 

No evidence exists that COVID-19 can be passed through food or food packaging, the Food and Drug Administration said last month.

 

Top U.S. officials have moved to assure Americans that they won't lack for food, despite the coronavirus. Vice President Pence, while touring a Walmart distribution center earlier this month, said that "America's food supply is strong."

 

My thought: For those that choose to eat meat, contact a trusted local rancher & butcher. Buy a freezer & you won't need to worry about a shortage of meat protein for months ... Edit: this is only one link to scores of meat producers across  the U.S. A person can do their own search & likely will find some meat producers nearby that can suggest & deliver to a local butcher to meet your needs & wishes: https://www.americangrassfed.org/aga-membership/producer-members/

[[Fi...]]

"Virus is expected to reduce meat selection and raise prices"

By DAVID PITT

yesterday

 

https://apnews.com/cb9fd324e9e3276dd56075a78223b7bb

 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Meat isn’t going to disappear from supermarkets because of outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers at U.S. slaughterhouses. But as the meat plants struggle to remain open, consumers could face less selection and slightly higher prices.

 

Industry leaders acknowledge that the U.S. food chain has rarely been so stressed and that no one is sure about the future, even as they try to dispel concerns about shortages.

 

On Sunday, the meat processing giant Tyson Foods ran a full-page advertisement in the New York Times and other newspapers outlining the difficulty of producing meat while keeping more than 100,000 workers safe and shutting some plants.

 

“This means one thing — the food supply chain is vulnerable,” the statement said. “As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain.”

Company spokesman Gary Mickelson said the Tyson family thought it was important to explain their perspective.

 

“The letter encourages government leaders to unite to address food supply chain challenges,” Mickelson said. “We are taking a proactive approach to balance safety and production by moving aggressively with testing and plant closures when necessary.”

 

COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, has infected hundreds of workers at meat-processing plants and forced some of the largest to close and others to slow production. While the output at beef and poultry plants has diminished, pork plants in the Midwest have been hit especially hard. The viral outbreaks have persisted despite efforts by the meat companies to keep workers at home with pay if they become sick.

 

The 15 largest pork-packing plants account for 60 percent of all pork processed, so when even one of those plants closes for days or weeks, the consequences ripple across the industry. That has become abundantly clear with two of the nation’s biggest plants now closed: Tyson suspended operations at its plant in Waterloo, Iowa. And Smithfield Foods halted production at its plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Each plant can butcher nearly 20,000 hogs a day. Some plants have reopened days after cleaning.

 

The result is that the nation’s pork processing capacity had declined by about 25% as of last week, said Steve Meyer, an industry economist with Kerns and Associates in Ames, Iowa.

 

Sarah Little, a spokeswoman for the North American Meat Institute, an industry trade group, said: “It’s down across the board right now, so the next couple of weeks we should see how the system works. It’s never been tested like this before.”

 

A beef production plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the latest to shut down because of infections among employees. JBS USA said the JBS Packerland plant, which employs 1,200, would be closed temporarily. As of Monday, 255 employees at the plant tested positive for COVID-19, said Claire Paprocki, a spokeswoman for the county health department.

 

Nationally, although the reduced meat supply is expected to cause consumer prices to rise, expectations are that the increases will be slight. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said late last week that it expects beef prices to climb 1% to 2% this year, poultry as much as 1.5% and pork between by from 2% and 3%.

 

The agency acknowledged that consumer buying patterns change weekly and that some products face supply-chain disruptions that could affect prices. But the USDA said its planned $3 billion purchase of fresh produce, dairy and meat should help stabilize prices. The government will work with food distributors to provide the purchased products to food banks, community and faith-based organizations and other nonprofits serving the needy.

 

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, said last week that 13 U.S. food-processing and meatpacking union workers in the U.S. have died and that an estimated 5,000 are sick or have been exposed to the virus while working near someone who tested positive.

 

Marc Perrone, the union president, said 13 plants in Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin and Alberta, Canada, have been closed at least temporarily because of the pandemic. Those union plants represent about 10 percent of beef production and 25 percent of pork production, the union said.

 

The union is urging state and federal officials to ensure that workers have access to protective equipment, mandate social distancing at work and halt federal waivers that allow faster line speeds.

 

Many employees of the meatpacking plants fear going to work, said Margarita Heredia, who has worked at the JBS pork processing plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, for 11 years. She joined a UFCW union call with reporters to discuss the pandemic’s effects on workers.

 

Heredia credited the company with improving sanitation, including treating hallways and common areas with bleach and placing hand sanitizer stations around the plant. JBS also now takes workers’ temperatures and encourages those who are sick to stay home. But she said the company increased pay by $4 an hour from April 20 through May as an incentive for healthy employees to go to work.

“Even then, we’re still shorthanded, but we are trying to do our best,” she said.

 

The national slowdown in meat processing has surfaced in federal statistics. The daily cattle slaughter for the week of April 13 fell nearly 24 percent from the same period a year ago. Pig slaughter was down 13 percent. And given the most recent plant closures, those figures have likely fallen further.

 

So far, the meat-processing industry has been able to shift production to open plants to keep a stream of meat moving through the supply chain, said Little, of the meat institute. Some plants that closed have reopened after deep cleanings.

 

“When one plant goes off-line, the others in the region can try and pick up the slack,” Little said.

 

The situation would be more dire if not for record amounts of meat in cold storage, though much of the meat was intended for restaurants that now are largely closed.

 

The USDA last week reported 921 million pounds of chicken in storage and 467 million pounds of boneless beef, including hamburger, roasts and steaks. Before much of that meat could be sold at markets, it would need to be repackaged because restaurants buy in greater bulk than individuals. Some of the meat would need to be cut by grocery store meat cutters and packaged for customers to take home.

 

In late March, the USDA eased restrictions to allow for meat that had been intended for commercial food use to be diverted into the grocery store channels for consumers The industry sought these changes in mid-March after brief meat shortages caused by the coronavirus panic sent people scurrying to grocery stores.

 

Industry reports indicate that fresh pork purchases surged 102 percent for the week ending March 22 compared with the same period a year earlier. Beef sales were up 91 percent. Chicken purchases grew by about 71 percent earlier in March before slowing. Still, chicken, pork and beef purchases are still about 30 percent above year ago levels in recent reports.

 

“By and large, there’s been enough food,” said Jayson Lusk, an economist at Purdue University. “You might not get your exact variety that you want or the exact type you want, but there’s been food available if you have the money to buy it.”

 

 

[[Pa...]]

Fi, it would be better if you posted these articles on the dedicated Covid19 thread, threads should be about discussions.

[[Fi...]]

Fi, it would be better if you posted these articles on the dedicated Covid19 thread, threads should be about discussions.

 

I think the articles that I posted are cross topic pertinent.

 

My proximity to and personal knowledge of nature and agribusiness may assist some in their decision making as it applies to their diets in the "New Normal" that is currently being formulated and necessitated now that SARS-CoV-2 has become a global pandemic. Many of my friends and associates are food producers, processors, packagers, transporters and marketers. Some of my friends and associates are experienced naturalists. I posted the articles for educational purposes, do with them as you wish.

 

“If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.”

― Chief Seattle

 

Best Wishes

[[Fl...]]

I posted the articles for educational purposes, do with them as you wish.

 

No, you posted them because you have an agenda and you will never miss an opportunity to promote it. You have been warned about this "drive by" posting in the past, yet you continue to do it.

 

Supply chain disruption has nothing whatsoever to do with how people fare on a certain diet and there is also no "new normal" at this point, we have no idea how this is going to shake out.