Advanced Meat Recovery – What is it?

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Mike Callicrate

Cheri with SpringsOver40.com asked a great question a few months ago – what is AMR? The following is a follow-up on her article, Advanced Meat Reclamation.

Listen to The Podcast from the Derry Brownfield Show
Ingredients for AMR:

Vertebrae and rib bones�
Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR) is an extremely profitable practice in today’s industrial meat industry. What was once rendered into pet food is now being sold at much higher prices as meat for human consumption. Contrary to the perception that meat is removed from the bones with AMR, the bones, along with the meat on the bones, is pulverized and blended into a fine slurry; frozen and shaped into various forms that are easily ground into many different meat products. Due to Mad Cow Disease (BSE), USDA bans vertebral columns from cattle over 30 months of age for use in AMR, even though (BSE) has been detected in cattle younger than 30 months. Various methods for determining the animals age are not dependable.

Meat trimmings 

The added meat, mostly cheap (and very cheap) trimmings, are used to decrease the bone and marrow content to acceptable USDA levels. Although the USDA requires removal of the spinal cord, nerve tissue that radiates immediately from the spinal cord through the intervertabal foramen, and into the peripheral nervous system, is present in the product. Products containing AMR do not require labeling identifying it’s presence. USDA considers AMR to be meat (as opposed to bone, marrow and nervous tissue), enabling AMR to be sold to consumers as “beef”.

Anhydrous 

Anhydrous Ammonia is approved for use in AMR as an intervention kill step for pathogen contaminated meat. Anhydrous Ammonia (also used in methamphetamine production) is a very dangerous and highly toxic substance that reacts violently with tissue and other substances containing moisture. 

Final Product: Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR)

 �
Pink slime and text�
Many foods from hamburgers to hot dogs and sausages contain AMR. It is used by most fast-food and chain restaurants as well as many independent food establishments that buy from major food service companies. Due to the significantly lower price, AMR is also used heavily in school lunch programs, hospitals, retirement homes, and other institutional establishments seeking the lowest possible prices. It was reported that Eldon Roth, owner of BPI, boasted that his AMR was in 70% of the hamburgers in the U.S., soon to be 100% (See Food Inc. for an inside look at BPI). 

Use of AMR greatly advantages processors that use it, enabling them to significantly undercut higher quality, non AMR meat processors prices.  Many eaters and small processors who refuse to use AMR, continue to ask, by what method or process was AMR approved for human consumption. Where are the studies on the short and long-term effects of AMR, or the addition of anhydrous ammonia, to meat on human health? 

For more information on USDA guidelines for producing AMR, see Section 318.24 in the following document: 9CFR318.PDF

More information can also be found at USDA’s FSIS website::  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/Beef_Produced_by_AMR_Systems/index.asp and http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/03-038IF.pdf. 

Mike Callicrate

Posted in General Advocacy, Pink Slime | 1 Comment

What is Advanced Meat Reclamation?

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Mike Callicrate

What is Advanced Meat Reclamation?

RE: What is Advanced Meat Reclamation?

Question: Can vertebral columns from cattle under 30 months be used in Advanced meat Recovery?

Answer from USDA’s FSIS, January 10, 2011:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding bones used in Advanced Meat Recovery Systems (AMR). The regulations at 9 CFR 318.24(a) allow establishments to produce “meat” by mechanically separating skeletal muscle tissue from the bones of livestock, other than skulls or vertebral column bones of cattle 30 months of age and older, using AMR systems. Establishments that use beef vertebral column bones or skulls from cattle younger than 30 months of age in AMR systems are subject to sampling under the AMR01 project for detection of CNS and CNS-type tissues (including brain, trigeminal ganglia, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglia (DRG)).

In answer to your question, yes an establishment may use vertebral columns from cattle under 30 months of age in AMR.

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Commonsense Coalition Radio – December 30, 2010

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Mike Callicrate

Thursday • Dec 30, 2010
Commonsense Coalition Talk Radio Presents
Mike Callicrate • Ranch Foods Direct.com l Hamburger Meat Filler

[audio:http://www.commonsensecoalitiontalkradio.com/tracks/123010.mp3]
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BUSINESS MODELS – LARGE AND SMALL

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Mike Callicrate

BUSINESS MODELS – LARGE AND SMALL

By Nick Colarelli

America has at least two business models, and they tend to have somewhat different purposes and operate by different rules.

Larger, publicly traded companies tend to have a short term (quarterly financial report) horizon.  Pension funds and major venture capital groups usually own significant shares of stock.  Meeting the quarterly financial needs of these share holders is one of the prime drivers of management behavior in these organizations.

They rely on technology, intellectual property, capital assets, strategic positioning, size, and preferential government legislation for competitive advantage.  The organizational structure typically supports measurement of productivity and fiscal performance (ROI), ongoing reduction of labor costs, and deskilling of production jobs.

Smaller, privately owned companies (family firms, partnerships, individual proprietorships) tend to be more long term oriented because the ownership is indigenous.  The purpose of such firms often has more to do with long term survival, legacy, community benefit, family needs, individual commitment, sense of mission, etc., than quarterly profit.  Positive financial performance is generally seen as a requirement of the business rather than its purpose.

Managers of smaller businesses will rely heavily on building mutually beneficial relationships that enable them to create a community of common interest among a diverse constituency composed of:

  • the owners,
  • their employees,
  • customers,
  • vendors and
  • the community in which they conduct their business.

For these managers, leading, managing, and maintaining these relationships are the critical skills.  They will often make trade-off decisions between short-term profit vs. making a relationship mutually beneficial.  Trust, loyalty, empathy, integrity, dependability and courage become the sina qua non (essential, indispensable) of effective managerial leadership.

———–

Callicrate note:

G. K. Chesterton’s Distributism
[audio:http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22770131/10-19-11DaleAhlquistDistributism.MP3]

One of G.K. Chesterton’s thoughts on business:

Chesterton cartoon

“Chesterton’s preferred solution is that most every business be a small business. Where larger businesses may be necessary, they should be owned by the employees; they should be run by a guild, combining their contributions and dividing their results. He believes that small shops can be governed – even if they are self-governed. He believes small shops can be supported—if we support them.”

As part this month’s Justice Dept./USDA Antitrust Workshop on margins in the meat business, it was revealed that the highly concentrated retail sector showed 21% return on equity (ROE) during the last six years. The nearly monopolized big meat packers ROE was 17% for the same time period, while the mostly small family farm, much more capital intensive and risky livestock sector (small business), lost .54% of their equity every year for the last thirteen years.

If we want healthy small businesses and prosperous communities we must foster, protect and support them.

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HACCP for Congress

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Mike Callicrate

HACCP for Congress

December 5, 2010 

Unofficial Government News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Announcing: HACCP for Congress

A new federal agency has been established: the Department for Healthy Legislation (DHL). As the first order of business, DHL has enacted the Healthy Legislation Act (a.k.a. Now-We-Work-For-The-People Act), which requires Congress to adopt USDA meat inspection style HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). Note the old legislative rulemaking process will be abandoned: no more Federal Register publication-and-comment period. As the result of extensive studies, it has been determined that those who are negatively affected by rules never like them. Like two-year-olds and teenagers, those with money and power always want more and hate being told what to do. 

Past history has seen multiple legislative failures, from drafting mistakes to poor rulemaking to lax law enforcement. A few examples of intent reversal are Country of Origin Labeling, Mandatory Price Reporting and SEC regulations. There are multiple examples with food safety laws. We worry this is at risk of making members of the general public physically sick. Addressing this hazard should be of primary focus of your HACCP plan. 

If you are familiar with USDA style HACCP, you will recognize many similarities in HACCP for Congress. Following are a few questions you should consider and a few ideas that may assist you in drafting your personal HACCP plans for healthier legislation. 

Does your HACCP plan identify the hazards to good legislation? Does the process provide for effective interventions and kill steps addressing the hazard? What tests are conducted on an ongoing basis before and after the legislative process to assure hazards are acknowledged? You must provide documentation. You are allowed to work together on addressing hazards you may have in common. This in no way reduces the requirement for your own complete HACCP plan. You will be required to train several staff people in HACCP and designate at least one plan administrator.

 The following ideas are offered for your consideration for inclusion in your plan: 

  • Congressional Intent Verification Procedure – Continuous daily monitoring of what Congress said it wanted compared to what we all got, report results to DHL Secretary, Senate and House leadership weekly, copy committee chairs and their staff who may (or may not) have direct or indirect interest.
  • Lobbyist Mouth Muzzle – (See the film Silence of the Lambs for reference.)
  • Robber Baron/Monopolist (hardened heart) Detection Scanners (converted metal detectors) – These full body scanners can be installed at the Capital, House and Senate building entryways. Robber barons and monopolists, upon detection, are immediately converted to meat packing plant workers (this equipment is really cool… patent pending) and transported by bus to low-paying jobs and trailer house communities in rural America. The film, Grapes of Wrath, will be played continuously on the bus during the trip.
  • Too Big to Fail: Break‘em-up-right-now foot wash – This technology, an antidote to the love of money, is placed in foot baths, similar to those sometimes used at USDA inspected meat plants (like the solution injected into Walmart meat, it is mostly water). Locate in the doorways of your offices. It is said to work well on the low-life companies that internalize profits while externalizing costs onto taxpayers. Early test results show mean people wanting to be nicer, even patriotic. Yearnings, such as playing with your kids, growing a garden, or having some chickens in the backyard have been reported.
  • Fleecing the Taxpayer Prevention Spray – We don’t know if this really works, but it sounds good. Might be good in DC and Wall Street lavatories. At least it appears to be an effective sanitizer and deodorizer.
  • Culprit Confessional – This is the place to confess violations in your HACCP plan, such as using your initials on a document instead of your full signature, or mistakenly not crossing a “t”, or dotting an “i.” Mothers of preschoolers have offered to hear confessions in exchange for access to real milk.
  • The Toady Trap – This enlarged rodent control device shows real promise. The bait can be almost anything from free donuts on up to whiskey, wine or wild women. Monsanto claims to have a new genetic modification in the works for toadies (boot-lickers and lackeys too). The newly discovered backbone-integrity gene, which they claim can now be inserted into the spinal DNA of an individual, will supposedly create the possibility of standing-up. Not surprisingly, they claim the integrity gene is in very short supply and has been on back order for some time (although, we think they might be holding up distribution pending some kind of patent approval).
  • Wall Streeter Lie Detection Machine – Dr. Kevorkian inspired this device. If the test is positive, administer truth serum twice daily, record usage, compare to product disappearance (guard against theft – this stuff is really expensive), and report to DHL Secretary and FDA Administrator. Copy FDA Chinese imported goods inspection officer (who occasionally inspects something). Ironically, though the Chinese are experts at lying, they also hold a monopoly on the truth serum.
  • Foxes Guarding the Hen House Prevention Plan – Count your chickens (or whatever) twice daily, record and report results to DHL, copy to all interested and disinterested parties. Be sure to copy the Save the Foxes and Kill the Chickens Society.

Remember, this is YOUR HACCP plan; because you are individually unique, you will each be required to have your own distinctly unique plan. We are not telling you how to write your HACCP plan, but we will criticize it. Furthermore, we are not responsible for the results (bad legislation, missing chickens, etc.). We only offer a few suggestions because we want to appear to be helpful and friendly. We WILL inspect your paperwork. Remember to save copies of all your reports, notes, and any other papers indefinitely (great deals are available on used Chinese shipping containers). If the paperwork fails our inspection, or if we have reason to believe you are acting in an unsafe, suspicious, or questionable manner (or cop an attitude or make bad coffee), we will issue a non-compliance report (NR) and make you eat Walmart meat. 

Guidelines for your new required Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) will be coming soon. 

Good luck! Please feel free to contact our automated phone system anytime you need assistance. If necessary, all calls will be redirected to the USDA, where we’ve been invited to join our fellow bureaucrats to Have A Cup of Coffee and Pray. 

PS: Like USDA inspection under HACCP, this news release is a hoax.

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