cows have tested positive for mad cow disease, is eating beef risky?
The short answer is “no.” The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that “beef is absolutely safe to eat.” Nearly every reputable expert on the subject agrees that there’s no added risk from eating steaks, hamburgers, or any other beef product. 2. What do scientific experts say? In February 2004 Dr. Ron DeHaven, then the USDA’s chief veterinarian, declared that “the U.S. consumer has every reason to remain confident in the safety of U.S. beef.” David Ropeik of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis says that the risk is “as close to zero as you can get.” Dr. Ken Petersen of the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service asserts: “Clinical studies tell us there’s virtually zero risk.” After the confirmation of a third mad cow case among U.S. cattle, John Clifford, the USDA’s current chief veterinary office, said: ” I want to emphasize that human and animal health in the United States are protected by a system of interlocking safeguards, and that we remain very confident in the safe
