The Washington Post claims that, for the past 15 years, the United States Department of Agriculture has been allowing some slaughterhouses to maximize profits by increasing line speeds and replacing USDA inspectors with company employees. According to the USDA inspector general and a number of USDA inspectors, this results in meat contaminated with animal feces and partly digested food, which contains deadly bacteria.

Clearly, we can’t rely on USDA to protect consumer health and safety. This task should be delegated to another agency like the Food and Drug Administration. We can also protect our own health and safety by relying more on vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and even plant-based meat substitutes available in our supermarkets. This is the diet recommended by every health advocacy organization and guaranteed to be free of nasty bugs.