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Just as a postscript to my post on cruelty at the slaughterhouse, it came out in the news yesterday that the meat industry is pushing back against the beef recall due to the injection of sick, disabled animals into the food supply (Beef Industry Presses For Reduced Recall). The justification is apparently “well, no one appears to have gotten sick and died yet”.

As stated previously, I think that even if you set aside the whole issue on inhumane treatment of the cattle, you really have to be concerned about the safety of your food.

As a sidenote, I’ve blogged about proper handling of crisis management over on my marketing blog. The best example ever is Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the Tylenol scare in 1982. In spite of a low risk to the population, J&J decided they would rather take a huge financial hit than risk the integrity of their brand. Contrast that with this case, where the meat industry is focused on maximizing profit at the expense of the safety of the populace and their own reputation. Short-term thinking at best.