Are procedures in place to prevent cross-contamination in slaughterhouses?
The agent that causes BSE, and presumably vCJD, has never been detected in bovine skeletal muscle tissues, from which most quality meat is derived. However, an extremely small amount of the causative agent – less than one gram of brain (the size of a peppercorn) from diseased cattle – is sufficient to cause infection in cattle. For humans, the amount capable of causing infection is unknown but could likewise be very small. For this reason, it is vital to guard against cross-contamination. Safe slaughterhouse practices ensure that high-risk materials have no chance to come into contact with otherwise safe materials and contaminate them. Are there any other meat products that could contain BSE? The use of wire brushes and other mechanical tools to recover meat scraps attached to bones and the vertebral column can pull out infectious nervous tissue and contaminate meat that is otherwise safe. Such “mechanically recovered meat” is used in processed meat products. Some experts believe that
