February, 2000
		Diseased Chicken Nuggets for Junior? Are chickens with sores, tumors, scabs and bruises fit for the school lunch program according to the USDA? You betcha! In fact, dip them in some barbeque sauce, and you can hardly tell. The government reported Thursday that it would allow two Alabama meat processing plants to continue making chicken nuggets out of carcasses that are suspected to be diseased to supply the federal lunch program in 31 states. Some school systems in Oregon, Missouri, Texas and Ohio have tempoarily stopped serving meat produced by the plants, which are owned by Gold Kist Inc. Carol Blake of the USDA did not exactly bolster consumer confidence in the U.S. food supply when she said of the nuggets in question, "It's a safe product. It's not contaminated with a pathogen or anything." Nor did the union of meat inspectors who were quoted in the Associated Press story as saying that while the chicken is unwholesome, it will not hurt anyone. Federal inspectors claim that the diseased birds are being turned into nuggets as a result of of flaws in a new inspection system being tried at the plants, and the union oppses the new system. ©1998-2000 Vegan Street