Keeping perspective about mad cow disease

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, December 25, 2003

Nations ban imports of U.S. beef. Traders flee beef futures and restaurant stocks drop. Consumers wonder whether steaks, hamburgers or hot dogs are safe to eat.

Perceptions are important, especially when it comes to the food supply. Any sign of a potential problem, like this week’s discovery of mad cow disease in a single animal in Central Washington, results in worry that can quickly turn to panic.

The federal and state governments’ initial reaction to the discovery was swift and balanced. Meat from the herd in question was recalled, food safety inspectors fanned out to make sure all of it was retrieved, the farm that housed the sickened cow was quarantined, and authorities worked to retrace the cow’s path from birth to slaughter. Meanwhile, assurances that the nation’s beef supply was almost certainly safe were repeated over and over.

Ah, that word almost. Few things can be made 100 percent safe. Risk is part of living. But the perception of near total safety is crucial when it comes to what we and our families ingest. That’s why the government’s longer-term response to the nation’s first case of mad cow must reassure the market that the systems in place to protect the meat supply are, if anything, more stringent than they need to be.

The economic toll from this single discovery could be enough to put many ranchers and restaurateurs out of business. Leading importers of U.S. beef will require conclusive assurance of safety before lifting their bans, and U.S. consumers should demand no less. In the coming weeks and months, Congress and the Agriculture Department must ensure that investigators get to the bottom of this case, and seek out every reasonable opportunity to protect the beef supply from this disease — even if it means higher prices.

Still, some perspective is warranted. The single case of mad cow found in Canada in May has gone no further. The fact that the U.S. case was found provides suggest that the screening process works. There appears to be very little chance that the food supply has been contaminated.

But none of that means much if fear takes over. That, nearly as much as mad cow disease itself, is what government authorities must fight.