Kansas City Star Report Exposes Dangers of Beef

In an expansive, yearlong report published online, The Kansas City Star reveals concerning facts about beef processing and health, including the overuse of antibiotics, big beef, and diet. Some of the more alarming information includes hundreds of instances of fecal contamination spanning two years, including a federal inspector at Tyson finding “a piece of trimmed fat approximately 14 inches long with feces the length of it.” In addition, the news outlet reveals only four companies produce more than 87 percent of packaged beef and roughly 90 percent of cattle at large operations are fed beta-blockers to make them grow faster, despite the risks they pose to human health. The newspaper also uncovers the fact that 30 percent of the $71 million land grant colleges in beef-producing states spent on beef-centric research was donated by beef-manufacturing corporations.